Chapter 2: Process modeling Part 1

Question 1

what is BPMN?

Answer 1

• graphical language or notation to model or represent processes
• limited number of graphical elements
• formal, exhaustive and unambiguous process representation:
  strict meanings and uses of elements
  strict rules to combine elements
• Growing popularity: easy to use and understand (for broad range of purposes)
  o powerful in capturing complexity while maintaining interpretablity
• To become the international standard for process modeling
• Likely to be integrated with UML

Question 2

How can you capture complexity?

Answer 2

Singular activities may be too complex and may not be captured in a BPMN process model. But complexity may be captured through different model levels or layers by adding subprocesses.

Question 3

What is the objective of BPMN?

Answer 3

to define the control flow (the exact sequence of activities)
Question: what are the activities?
BPMN has a certain modeling perspective because it has been developed with intended use and objective
Important: what? in what order? operational process level in perspective pyramid
Not important: who? where?

Question 4

What are the five basic elements of BPMN?

Answer 4

flow objects 
connectors 
swimlanes 
data 
artifacts.

Question 5

what are flow objects?

Answer 5

activity: do something
events: start, intermediate, end
gateways: split and merge paths
difference between activity and events? control vs no control over execution/ happening

Question 6

what are connectors?

Answer 6

sequence connector: regular line connecting flow objects
message connector: only between lanes , dashed lines
association - dotted line

Question 7

What are pools and lanes?

Answer 7

Every pool is a separate process

Lanes are a subdivision of a process

Question 8

What are data?

Answer 8

Data object - data or document flow between actions and events
Data store - contains stored data accessible to the process

Question 9

why add data objects to a process?

Answer 9

To help make those elements in the process more explicit

• they are important given our perspectove and objective in modelling the process
• they are crucial in process

Question 10

what are artifacts?

Answer 10

extra information, not formally defined
Annotations-> arbitrary text linked by a dotted line
Extensions -> organization specific symbols