# BPMN tasks and activities

Activities are the rounded rectangles. The icon in the corner says who or what performs the work, which matters enormously once the process is automated.

An unmarked task is an abstract task, which is fine early and vague later.

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## When it matters

* Distinguishing work a person does from work a system does.
* Any process heading for automation, where the marker decides the implementation.

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## The symbols

| **Symbol**            | **Means**                                        |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Task                  | Rounded rectangle. A unit of work.               |
| User task             | Person icon. A human does it, usually in a form. |
| Service task          | Gear icon. A system does it automatically.       |
| Script task           | Script icon. Runs a script in the engine.        |
| Send and receive task | Envelope icons. Sends or waits for a message.    |
| Manual task           | Hand icon. Done by a person outside any system.  |
| Business rule task    | Table icon. Calls a decision, often a DMN table. |

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## A few things that catch people out

* A loop or multi-instance marker at the bottom of a task changes its meaning; do not use it decoratively.
* Business rule tasks are how BPMN and DMN connect. That is the clean way to model decisions.
* If everything in your diagram is an abstract task, the model is still a sketch.

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## Related

[BPMN gatewaysDiamonds: the path splits or joins.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/bpmn-gateways.html)

[BPMN sub processesCollapsing detail without losing it.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/bpmn-sub-processes.html)

[BPMN notation referenceBack to the full symbol reference.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/bpmn-notation-reference.html)

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_Sequence flow stays inside the pool._