BPMN

Updated
View as text
Open in Confluence
Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude

BPMN 2.0 is a standard, not a style. Its symbols have defined meanings, and files you draw here are valid BPMN that other BPMN tools can open and, in some cases, execute.

Capable ships a proper BPMN modeller rather than a shape library that looks like one.

#What it is good at

  • Processes destined for a workflow or BPM engine.

  • Regulated documentation where the notation itself is required.

  • Any process where events, timers and message boundaries carry real meaning.

#What it draws

Diagram

Syntax starts with

Events

Start, intermediate, end, plus timer, message and error variants

Activities

Task, user task, service task, sub-process, call activity

Gateways

Exclusive, parallel, inclusive, event-based

Flows

Sequence flow within a pool, message flow between pools

Swimlanes

Pools for participants, lanes for roles

#A few things that catch people out

  • A BPMN file must keep the .bpmn20.xml extension, or a plain .xml is read as draw.io.

  • The notation is strict. A message event and a timer event are not decorative variants.

  • If you are fighting the notation, a plain flowchart is probably the honest choice.

Learn one properly. Borrow the rest when you need them.