Business Process Modeling Notation is Learn BPMN by examining the Business

classified into the following six categories Process Model shown for a Travel Agency

Swim Lane: Gateway: The BPM model shown is for a Travel Agency that receives the customer’s 7. The website requests authorization from the Financial Institution to charge the
Pool: acts as a graphical container for partitioning a set of activities A Gateway is used to control the divergence and trip criteria and displays matching flight and hotels. Once the customer customer’s credit card. (BPMN: Task with a possible Time-out Exception Flow).
A swim lane is a visual mechanism from other Pools. It contains Events, Activities, Gateways, convergence of Sequence Flow. Thus, it will Execution within the Travel Agency’s lane is paused (step 9) waiting for a
of organizing different activities into makes a selection, the agency charges the customer’s credit card and
Connecting Objects and Artifacts. determine branching, forking, merging, and joining response from the Financial Institution.
categories of the same functionality. books the flight and hotel. An itinerary is sent to the customer and a link to
Lane: used to organize and categorize activities within a Pool. A of paths. Internal markers will indicate the type of 8. The Financial Institution processes the authorization request.
Two notations are used to organize
Lane is represented as a sub-part of the pool.
the airline check-in website is sent to the customer 24hrs before the trip
activities: Pools and Lanes. behavior control. There are five types of gateways:
date. The modeler follows the 6 steps shown below: 9. The Financial Institution sends back the authorization request response.
XOR - Data-Based exclusive 10. The paused website receives the response and continues execution.
Event: decision and merging. Shown 11. The website evaluates the response received (BPMN: Data-Based Decision
I. Define the Process Participants (Pools):

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An event affects the flow of the process and is usually Gateway).

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with or without the “X” marker.

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Start by defining the process participants. In the example shown, there are three

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12. In the happy path, the credit card charge is authorized. (BPMN: Default

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associated with a “Trigger” that defines the cause of the

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XOR - Event-Based exclusive participants: The Customer, The Travel Agency and the Financial Institution.

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Flow).

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event. There are three types of Events, based on when they

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affect the flow: decision and merging. The process is developed from the point of view of the Travel Agency, hence, the 13. The website performs a transaction that includes two activities: booking the
Start Event Start Customer and the Financial Institution are considered as external Participant who flight and booking the hotel room. The Transaction insures that all activates are
Inclusive (OR)- inclusive will be communicated with using messages. Each Participant is represented as a completed successfully or all of them will be cancelled. (BPMN: Transaction).
Intermediate Event
decision and merging Pool. 14. In the happy path, the booking is successful for both.
End Event Intermediate 15. The website prepares the trip itinerary.
+

+ +
Complex -- complex conditions II. Define the level of activity detail to show within each Pool: 16a. The website emails the trip itinerary to the customer.
and situations (e.g., 3 out of 5)

+
End If the activities performed by a participant are irrelevant and instead the process is 16b. At the same time (in parallel), the Customer Service dept mails the paper
focused on the messages exchanged with the participant, then the process model
Connecting objects:
+
Parallel (AND) -- forking and itinerary to the customer’s physical address.
shows minimal (like in the case of the Financial Institution) to no activities (like in 17. The process continues when both itineraries are sent to the customer.
Sequence Flow: joining
Activity: the case of the Customer) within that Pool. (BPMN: Parallel Join)
A Sequence Flow shows in which
order the activities will be performed. An activity is a generic term for work to be performed. There are two Activity types: 18. The website closes the order.
Sequence flow may be: Task: An atomic activity. There are three types of markers for a Task: a Loop Marker, a Artifacts: III. Define how to categorize the activities within each Pool: 19. The website waits until 24 hrs before the trip date.
Multiple Instance Marker and a Compensation Marker. A Task may have one or two markers Artifacts allow modelers to add information into the Since it is necessary to distinguish between the automated activities performed by 20. The website emails the customer a link to the airlines check-in website.
a) Conditional Flow: diagram so it is more readable. There are three the Travel Agency’s website and the manual activities performed by the Customer (BPMN: Sub-process with Activity Looping)
Task Task with Loop Task with Task with 21. The process ends successfully.
b) Default Flow: Artifacts types: Service dept, the two are shown as two Lanes within the Travel Agency Pool.
Compensation Multiple Instance
II Group: The Group is used to group IV. Define the activities that lead to a successful end: V. Define the alternate paths that lead to a successful end:
Message Flow: different activities but does not Note: the following steps correspond to the steps in the BPMN diagram below
Sub-Process: A compound activity. The Sub-Process can be in a collapsed view that hides First Alternate Path: At step 7, if the request to authorize the credit card times
A Message Flow is used to illustrate affect the flow in the diagram.
its details or in an expanded view that shows its details. There are five types of markers out (more than 10 seconds), then the flow is routed to steps: 22, 23, 24, 8, 9, 25,
what messages flow between two 1. Define the starting event of the process. The process starts when the web site
for a Sub-Processes: a Collapsed Marker (the plus sign), a Loop Marker, a Parallel receives a message from the customer with the desired flight and hotel room 26, 27, 28 and resumes at step 15.
process participants (Pools). Sequence Data Objects: Data Objects show
Flow is not allowed between Pools. Marker, a Compensation Marker and Ad Hoc Marker. criteria. (flight dates, no. of stops, no. of nights, hotel rating, etc). (BPMN: Start
the reader which data is required or Second Alternate Path: At step 13, if booking fails for the first, second or third
A collapsed Sub-Process may have one to three of these other markers, in all Message Event)
produced in an activity. time, then the flow is routed to steps: 29, 30, and resumes at step 13.
Association: combinations except that Loop and Multiple Instance cannot be shown at the same time. 2. The web site performs two sub-processes simultaneously (in parallel) to retrieve
An Association is represented with a Annotation: An annotation is a way for the flights and hotel rooms that meet the customer criteria. (BPMN: Parallel
Collapsed Sub- Activity Multiple Ad-Hoc Compensation Expanded Sub-Process) Examine the model to find more alternate paths.
dotted line. An arrowhead may be process Looping Instance the analyst to convey additional
3. The Web site presents the available flights and hotel rooms to the customer.
added to indicate the flow direction. + + II + ~+ + information to the reader of the model
4. The website decides the next step based on the event that will take place, which VI. Define the exception paths that will not lead to a successful end:
Associations are used to associate an
A Transaction is a Sub-Process that is supported by special protocol An Intermediate Event can be placed on the will be one of three: a) no customer response for 15 minutes (which may make the First Exception Path: At step 4, if the system waits for 15 minutes without
Artifact, data or text to an Object. A
boundary of a Task or Sub-Process to represent displayed flights and hotel rooms obsolete), b) the customer requests to continue receiving a response from the customer, the flow is routed to steps: 39, 40, 41,
directional Association is used to that insures that all parties involved have complete agreement that
booking with a selected flight and hotel room, and c) receive the customer’s 42, 43 and 21.
show that a Data Object is either an the activity should be completed or cancelled. exception or compensation handling.
request to cancel. (BPMN: Event-Based Gateway)
input to or an output from an activity. A Transaction has three outcomes: Successful completion: this will 5. In the happy path, the process will receive a message from the customer with a
Request authorization Receive Order
be shown as a normal Sequence Flow that leaves the Sub-Process. Second Exception Path: At step 11, if the credit card charge are not authorized,
to charge credit card Response request to continue booking for selected flight and hotel room. (BPMN:
Failed Completion (Cancel): When a Transaction is cancelled, then the activities inside Intermediate Message) the flow is routed to steps: 50, 51, 52, 42, 43, and 21.
the Transaction will be subjected to the cancellation actions, which could include rolling timed out Problem with 6. The website requests and gets the customer’s credit card information.
Receive trip Trip Review trip back the process and compensation for activities. Hazard: This means that something [10 sec] Examine the model to find more alternate paths.
itinerary itinerary response
Itinerary went terribly wrong and that a normal success or cancel is not possible.
Customer

Note about notations colors

Secure connection and line styles:
• A notation MAY use any line
colors to suit the purpose of the
52. Cancel 33. Failed booking for the 4th time 34.Present a message 35.Manual modeler or tool (e.g., to highlight
Charge Credit Card Process that customer service the value of an object attribute).
Order booking
will handle the order • A notation MAY be extended to
51. Present a 54. Complex
use any line styles to suit the

+
message credit card Gateway 37. Failed booking flight only or H. room only
38. To be defined later purpose of the modeler or tool
List of flights 40. Present could not be charged

+
START Investigate Transaction (e.g., to highlight the value of an
And hotel rooms message requesting
1. Receive customer integrity. Both bookings object attribute) with the
Credit card info

flight and user to start again 30. Failed booking less than 4 times should be successful or Repeat for each email condition that the line style
29. Failed registered with the trip
50. Charge NOT

hotel room criteria the entire transaction MUST NOT conflict with any
booking Trip 20. Send email
authorized

31. Wait should be rolled back. current BPMN defined line style.
~ + Itinerary notification with link to

32. Try again

2. Expanded 30 seconds Thus, the line styles of Sequence
Sub-process 13. Booking Transaction flight check-in Flow, Message Flow, and
10. Financial 16a. email + Associations MUST NOT be
Book selected flight
Website

Retrieve 39. Waiting for 15 min with Institution trip itinerary modified.
flights within 4. Evaluate Response
no customer response
customer the next received
criteria event 6. Request and 12. Charge
3. Present
Travel Agency

authorized 14. Successful 17. Parallel

+
flights and hotel get Credit Card Cancel flight
7. Request authorization to 18. Close
+ information booking 15. Prepare join 21. End
rooms to charge credit card Order
+

trip itinerary
customer
Retrieve hotel 5. Receive customer’s 11. evaluates 19. Delay until 24
rooms within + Book selected room
request to continue the response hrs before trip
customer booking with selected 22. timed out received
criteria flight and H. room [10 sec]
42. Cancel
43. Cancel order
Poster Info
Cancel room Order
+ 23.Present a message subprocess
41. Cancel
that customer service
Order
will handle the order
+ Author:
44. Receive customer’s 53. Unexpected
request to cancel booking system error Khalid B Simaan
Poster version:
45.Cancel 27. Successful
Customer Service

24.Request credit card

Order booking
28. Manually 16b. Mail trip 1.0.0 - May 20th 2008
authorization using 44. Charge not request system to
authorized 26. Call airlines and itinerary
alternative methods prepare itinerary
hotel to continue
(dial-in, call Fin Inst
booking
Copyright 2008 ©
customer Service, etc) Mail to customer’s physical
25. Charge authorized
+
49. Cancel mailing address
Modern Analyst
+ 46. Booking 47. Request refund
36. Manual not successful +
Order Media LLC
booking

For more such resources visit

Institution

www.ModernAnalyst.com
Financial

8. Process 9. Send authorization 48. Process

credit card refund
authorization request response The premier community for
+
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