BPMN modeling convention

The reference model created in ARIS must conform to the following modeling conventions.

Context

Convention

Reason / example

Model types

The following BPMN models are currently supported:

  • Enterprise BPMN collaboration diagram

  • Enterprise BPMN process diagram

  • BPMN process diagram (BPMN 2.0)

  • BPMN collaboration diagram (BPMN 2.0)

Object types

Object types are reduced to:

  • Start event

  • Intermediate event

  • End event

  • Activities / Tasks

  • Inclusive gateway

  • Exclusive gateway

  • Parallel gateway

Connection types

Connection types are reduced to sequence flow connections.

Pools

Only items from exact one pool are considered.

BPMN pool

Lanes

All lanes will be integrated.

BPMN lanes

Start event

Only start events with any start event symbol are allowed.

Only one start event is allowed.

Start event have exactly one outgoing connection.

Note that the structure of multiple nested start events is simplified and partially consolidated for the transfer model.

BPMN start event

BPMN tasks

BPMN endevent

BPMN endevents

BPMN event with one incomming connection

Tasks

A task has exact one incoming and one outgoing connection.

Only tasks that are somehow reached from the start event are considered (no isolated tasks).

End event

Only end events with end event symbol are allowed.

More than one end event is allowed.

End event have exactly one incoming connection.

Note that for inclusive gateways, the rules of 'closed brackets' must be followed (see below).

Start and end events at embedded (sub)processes

Only start events with start event symbol are allowed

Only one start event is allowed.

Only one end event is allowed.

Only end events with end event symbol are allowed.

Result in intermediate event.

Note that embedded subprocesses are included in the reference process but assigned subprocesses are not, as they are not on the same model. If you collapse an embedded subprocess, it is converted into an assigned subprocess, although it may be shown like an embedded subprocess after expanding it afterwards.

BPMN embedded process

BPMN embedded process

BPMN embedded process

Intermediate events

Intermediate events are allowed but will be eliminated in the transfer model.

BPMN intermediate event

BPMN intermediate event

BPMN intermediate event

Split gateways

Split gateways have exactly one incoming and more than one outgoing connection.

BPMN split gateway

Join gateways

Join gateways have more than one incoming and exactly one outgoing connection.

BPMN join gateway

Cycles and loops

Self-loops are not allowed.

Cycles are allowed, according the following rules:

Since the sequence of split and join gateways is usually reversed (the first in the model is the join gateway and the second is the split gateway), exclusive gateways are recommended.

Any gateway that is opened within the cycle must be closed within the cycle.

BPMN cycles

OR-gateways:

  • closed bracket

  • nested gateway brackets

An inclusive join gateway (OR gateway) and the next preceding split gateway create a "closed bracket".

Each 'closed brackets' split and join gateway must have direct and completed branches between both with not overlapping or crossing connections.

Each join gateway must close all branches opened with the next predecessor split gateway.

All opened branches must be closed in a 'closed bracket' style.

'Closed bracket' style split-join sets can be nested.

BPMN or gateway

BPMN or-gateway

BPMN or-gateway

OR-gateways:

brackets with second way out

An inclusive join gateway (OR gateway) and the next preceding split gateway ('closed brackets') must not have a 'second way out' so that the process may leave the 'closed bracket'.

This modeling can result in conforming cases not being identified as such, but being presented as non-conformant.

BPMN or-gateway