BPMN (Business Process Model & Notation)
Part of the Business Analyst Roadmap
In short
Everyone draws boxes and arrows differently. BPMN is a standard set of shapes, so a diagram drawn in a bank in Pune means the same thing to an analyst in London.
A standardized visual notation for modeling business processes — using specific symbols for tasks, gateways (decisions), and events, making diagrams consistently readable across teams and tools.
Think of it like this
Like standard road signs
A red circle, a triangle, a blue round sign: any driver knows what each shape means without reading a word. BPMN does that for process diagrams. Circles are events, rounded boxes are tasks, diamonds are decisions, wherever you go.
Watch it happen
A small BPMN process, shape by shape
1/5Start event: a thin-line circle. Here, 'Order received'. Events are things that happen.
The big ideas
What you need to know
Events are circles
Thin circle for start, thick circle for end, double circle for something in the middle, like a timer or message arriving.
Tasks are rounded boxes
One unit of work, named with a verb and a noun: 'Approve invoice', not 'Invoice'.
Gateways are diamonds
An empty or X diamond means choose one path. A plus diamond means run paths in parallel.
Two kinds of arrows
Solid arrows show the order of steps inside a process. Dashed arrows show messages between separate participants.
Save yourself the pain
Common mistakes
Oops
Using every BPMN symbol you know to look expert.
Do this instead
Most business diagrams need only events, tasks, exclusive gateways, sequence flows and lanes. Keep it readable.
Oops
Leaving gateway arrows unlabelled.
Do this instead
Label each outgoing path, like 'In stock' and 'Out of stock', so the decision is obvious.
Your mission
Draw a BPMN diagram
Quick check
In BPMN, what does a diamond with a plus sign mean?
Go deeper
- 1Learn the core BPMN symbols: tasks, gateways, start/end events, and swimlanes.
- 2Model a simple process using proper BPMN notation in a diagramming tool.
- 3Understand why standardized notation matters when diagrams need to be shared across teams.
More topics at this stop
Business Process Modeling Basics
Process Flowcharts
As-Is vs To-Be Process Mapping
Swimlane Diagrams
Gap Analysis
Process Improvement Techniques (Lean, Six Sigma Overview)
Root Cause Analysis (5 Whys, Fishbone)
Value Stream Mapping
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