Graphical notations for business processes
The Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) specification provides a graphical notation for specifying business processes in a Business Process Diagram. Its goal is to support Business Process Modeling by providing a standard notation that is comprehensible to business users yet represents complex process semantics for technical users.
Business Process Modeling Notation has become the de-facto standard for business processes diagrams. It is intended to be used directly by the stakeholders who design, manage and realize business processes, but at the same time be precise enough to allow BPMN diagrams to be translated into software process components. BPMN has an easy-to-use flowchart-like notation that’s independent of any particular implementation environment.
The primary goal of BPMN is to provide a notation that is readily understandable by all business users, from the business analysts that create the initial drafts of the processes, to the technical developers responsible for implementing the technology that will perform those processes, and finally, to the business people who will manage and monitor those processes. Thus, BPMN creates a standardized bridge for the gap between the business process design and process implementation. Another goal, but no less important, is to ensure that XML® languages designed for the execution of business processes, such as WSBPEL (Web Services Business Process Execution Language), can be visualized with a business-oriented notation.
ISO/IEC 19510
This International Standard (ISO/IEC 19510) represents the amalgamation of best practices within the business modeling community to define the notation and semantics of Collaboration diagrams, Process diagrams, and Choreography diagrams. The intent of BPMN is to standardize a business process model and notation in the face of many different modeling notations and viewpoints. In doing so, BPMN will provide a simple means of communicating process information to other business users, process implementers, customers, and suppliers. This OMG specifications is also an ISO standard. For more information on the relationship between OMG and ISO, visit https://www.omg.org/iso/.
BPMN is part of the triple crown of process improvement standards: BPMN, CMMN and DMN. Additional resources can be found at http://www.bpmn.org.