Using BPMN

I had my own set of problems trying to learn and use BPMN. A whole set of process maps had to be migrated to SA(System Architect)from Visio.

The set of maps prepared by the team followed a notation of its own, and SA enforces BPMN. So understanding how to use it was an imperative.

As I minutely scrutinized each map, I could clearly see variances in the notation used even within the team. Even read the entire BPMN specification document from OMG but what I wanted was examples. Lots of them, showing actual business scenarios..

So when i came across this article, I appreciated the need for BPMN training for any group that plans to use it. The points mentioned by him are truly essential to ensure the succces of the excercise you undertake.

The salient points that Bruce mentions are:

1- Make important process detail visible in the diagram...for shared understanding, only information surfaced in the diagram has business value. That means adding labels everywhere, not just to activities but gateways, sequence flows, and events.

2- Make your diagrams valid.

3- Make your diagrams hierarchical.

Ensuring that the digrams are valid, requires a clear understanding of applicability of BPMN. And making diagrams heirarchial also has its challenges. The major one is clear visualization of objective processes contained withing parent processes. Currently facing a challenge on this, so hopefully will share more when i crack it.

Here is the link to the article again..
http://www.bpminstitute.org/articles/article/article/bpms-watch-bpmn-training-revisited.html