Create and Share BPMN 2.0 Diagrams Online with Lucidchart

How to Download BPMN 2.0 and Why You Should Use It

If you are looking for a way to design, document, and communicate your business processes, you might want to consider using Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) 2.0. BPMN 2.0 is an open standard notation system that allows you to create graphical diagrams that represent your business workflows in a clear and understandable way.

In this article, we will explain what BPMN 2.0 is, what are its benefits, and what are the main elements and symbols that you need to know. We will also show you how to download BPMN 2.0 tools, both web-based and desktop, and how to use them to create your own BPMN diagrams. Finally, we will provide you with some examples of BPMN diagrams for different scenarios, as well as some tips and best practices for BPMN modeling.

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What is BPMN 2.0?

BPMN 2.0 is a standard way to represent business processes from beginning to end. It is designed to remove the ambiguity of process specifications and provide the context needed to complete it. As process mapping is often very complex and confusing, BPMN 2.0 provides a universal solution that uses standard modeling techniques and standardized symbols, allowing process models to be easily shared and read by anyonewhether technical or non-technical.

A brief history of BPMN

BPMN was first developed by the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) in 2004 as a response to the need for a common language for business process modeling. In 2005, BPMI merged with the Object Management Group (OMG), an international consortium that develops standards for software engineering. In 2011, OMG released the second version of BPMN, known as BPMN 2.0, which added new features such as collaboration diagrams, choreography diagrams, conversation diagrams, and executable models.

The benefits of BPMN 2.0

All organizations can benefit from improved business processes supported by BPMN 2.0. With business process modeling software, you can create simple or complex diagramswhatever your process requires. The flowcharts you make can easily be recognized and understood by stakeholders, whether they have a technical background or not.

Some of the benefits of BPMN 2.0 are:

• Understanding. As you create BPMN diagrams that all teams can decipher, intricate and complex workflows become easier to understand. It allows businesses to define their business procedures.

• Standardization. Having one solution in place allows information to be quickly sharedand understood by everyone. BPMN works as a standard notation for all levels of your stakeholders.

• Simplicity. Diagrams are a visual learning tool, making them easier to understand than narrative text. Its also an industry standard, so theres little room for error.

• Communication. BPMN helps bridge the communication gap between various teams, departments, and organizations by designing flowcharts that all department levels can understand.

• Collaboration. BPMN brings all relevant stakeholders into the process, making it an effective collaboration tool. Multiple departments can review your flowchart and almost immediately identify the business process, outcomes for your team, and next steps without much detail.

• Empowerment. As. As you create and improve your business processes, you can also monitor and optimize them using BPMN 2.0. It allows you to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and risks in your workflows and take corrective actions.

The main elements and symbols of BPMN 2.0

BPMN 2.0 consists of four basic categories of elements and symbols that you can use to create your diagrams. These are:

• Flow objects. These are the main components of a BPMN diagram that represent the activities, events, and gateways in a process. Activities are tasks or sub-processes that are performed by a person or a system. Events are triggers that start, end, or affect the flow of a process. Gateways are decision points that control the branching and merging of the flow based on conditions or rules.

• Connecting objects. These are the lines that connect the flow objects and show the sequence, message, or association of the elements. Sequence flows show the order of execution of the activities and events. Message flows show the communication between two participants or pools in a process. Association flows show the link between an artifact or text annotation and a flow object.

• Swimlanes. These are graphical containers that group the flow objects into different categories based on their roles, responsibilities, or functions. Swimlanes can be either horizontal or vertical and can be further divided into lanes to show more details. Pools represent the main participants or entities involved in a process, such as organizations, departments, or systems. Lanes represent the sub-participants or sub-entities within a pool, such as teams, roles, or positions.

• Artifacts. These are supplementary elements that provide additional information or documentation for a process. Artifacts can be data objects, groups, or text annotations. Data objects show the input or output data of an activity or a process. Groups show a logical grouping of flow objects that share a common characteristic or purpose. Text annotations provide explanatory text or comments for a flow object or a diagram.

The following table shows some examples of BPMN 2.0 elements and symbols and their meanings:

Element/Symbol

Name

Description

Task

An atomic activity that is performed by a person or a system.

Sub-process

A compound activity that consists of other activities and events.

Start event

An event that initiates a process or a sub-process.

End event

An event that terminates a process or a sub-process.

Intermediate event

An event that occurs during the course of a process or a sub-process.

Exclusive gateway

A decision point that splits or merges the flow based on a condition or a choice.

Parallel gateway

A synchronization point that splits or merges the flow concurrently.

Sequence flow

A line that shows the order of execution of the flow objects.

Message flow

A line that shows the communication between two participants or pools.

Pool

A container that represents a main participant or entity in a process.

Lane

A sub-container that represents a sub-participant or sub-entity within a pool.

Data object

An artifact that shows the input or output data of an activity or a process.

Group

An artifact that shows a logical grouping of flow objects.

Text annotation

An artifact that provides explanatory text or comments for a flow object or a diagram.

How to download BPMN 2.0 tools

There are many BPMN 2.0 tools available in the market, both free and paid, that you can use to create and edit your BPMN diagrams. Depending on your preferences and needs, you can choose between web-based tools or desktop tools. Web-based tools are online applications that run on your browser and allow you to access your diagrams from anywhere and collaborate with others. Desktop tools are software programs that you need to install on your computer and allow you to work offline and have more features and functionalities.

Web-based tools

Some examples of web-based BPMN 2.0 tools are:

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