mirror of
https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena.git
synced 2025-03-01 09:30:46 +00:00
9232c70ff3
* ventilate prose * ventilate all the things --------- Co-authored-by: burnettk <burnettk@users.noreply.github.com>
91 lines
9.7 KiB
Markdown
91 lines
9.7 KiB
Markdown
# Understanding the terminology
|
|
|
|
## BPMN and SpiffWorkflow
|
|
|
|
Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a diagramming language for specifying business processes.
|
|
BPMN bridges the gap between business and IT, creating a shared process language for both parties.
|
|
|
|
BPMN efficiently depicts the details of process behaviors in a diagram.
|
|
The precision of its meaning allows it to describe the technical details that control process execution in an automation engine.
|
|
SpiffWorkflow enables you to create code to execute a BPMN diagram directly.
|
|
|
|
By using SpiffWorkflow, a client can create the BPMN diagram and have their product work without the need for you to modify the Python code, thus improving response and turnaround time.
|
|
|
|
## Flow Objects
|
|
|
|
Flow objects are divided into three groups: Events, Gateways, and Tasks.
|
|
|
|
### Events
|
|
|
|
Events, represented by circles, describe occurrences during a process.
|
|
There are three main types of events in business process modeling: start events, intermediate events, and end events.
|
|
|
|
| **Event** | **Symbol**| **Description** |
|
|
|-----------|-----------|-----------------|
|
|
| Start Event | | Signals the first step of a process. |
|
|
| Intermediate Event |  | Represents any event that occurs between a start and end event. |
|
|
| End event |  | Signals the final step in a process. |
|
|
|
|
### Gateways
|
|
|
|
Gateways represent decision points in a process.
|
|
Based on certain conditions or rules, they determine which path the process will follow.
|
|
There are various types of gateways:
|
|
|
|
| **Gateway** | **Symbol**| **Description** |
|
|
|---------------|-----------|-----------------|
|
|
| Exclusive gateway | | Evaluates the state of the business process and, based on the condition, diverges the flow into one or more mutually exclusive paths. |
|
|
| Event-based gateway |  | An event-based gateway is similar to an exclusive gateway in that both involve one path in the flow. However, with an event-based gateway, you evaluate which event has occurred, not which condition has been met. |
|
|
| Inclusive gateway |  | An inclusive gateway diverges the process flow into one or more flows. |
|
|
| Complex gateway |  | Complex gateways are used only for the most intricate flows in the business process. They use words instead of symbols and thus require more descriptive text. |
|
|
|
|
### Tasks
|
|
|
|
Tasks represent activities or work that needs to be done as part of a process.
|
|
They can either be manual tasks that require human intervention or automated tasks that are performed by systems or applications.
|
|
|
|
| **Task** | **Symbol** | **Description** |
|
|
|---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|
|
| Service |  | A task that utilizes a Web service, an automated application, or other types of service to complete the task. |
|
|
| Send | | A task that sends a message to another pool. The task is completed once the message has been sent. |
|
|
| Receive |  | A Receive Task indicates that the process has to wait for a message to arrive in order to continue. The task is completed once the message has been received. |
|
|
| User |  | A User Task denotes that a human performer completes the task with the help of a software application. |
|
|
| Manual |  | A Manual Task is a task performed without the aid of any business process execution engine or application. |
|
|
| Business Rule || A Business Rule Task provides a mechanism for a process to supply input to a Business Rules Engine and then obtain the output provided by the Business Rules Engine. |
|
|
| Script |  | A Script Task defines a script that the engine can interpret. |
|
|
| Call Activity |  | A call activity allows you to call and invoke another process as part of this process. |
|
|
| Sub-Process |  | Sub-processes allow you to collapse and expand tasks to convey information quickly. |
|
|
|
|
## Connecting Objects
|
|
|
|
Connecting objects are lines that connect BPMN flow objects.
|
|
Three different types exist: sequence flows, message flows, and associations.
|
|
|
|
| **Connecting Objects** | **Symbol** | **Description** |
|
|
|---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|
|
| Sequence flow symbol |  | Connects flow objects in the proper sequential order. |
|
|
| Message flow symbol | | Represents messages sent from one process participant to another. |
|
|
| Association symbol |  | Illustrates relationships between artifacts and flow objects. |
|
|
|
|
## Artifacts
|
|
|
|
Artifacts are used to provide additional information or documentation within a process.
|
|
They include data objects (which represent information or data needed for the process), annotations (which provide explanatory or descriptive text), and groups (which are used to visually group related elements).
|
|
|
|
| **Artifact** | **Symbol** | **Description** |
|
|
|---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|
|
| Data Object |<div style="height:50px;width:50px">  | Data objects can represent data input to the process, data resulting from the process, or data that needs to be collected. |
|
|
| Data Storage | | Data storage facilitates the storage or access of data associated with a business model. If your process produces any data, it will become necessary to store that data. |
|
|
| Group | <div style="height:50px;width:50px">  | Groups organize tasks or processes that are significant in the overall process. |
|
|
| Annotation | <div style="height:50px;width:50px">  | Annotations allow you to describe the business process and flow objects in greater detail. |
|
|
|
|
## Swimlanes
|
|
|
|
Swimlanes are used in a BPMN diagram to organize aspects of a process.
|
|
They visually group objects into lanes, with each aspect of the process added to a separate lane.
|
|
|
|
These elements can be arranged either horizontally or vertically.
|
|
Not only do swimlanes organize activities into separate categories, but they also reveal delays, inefficiencies, and the individuals responsible for each step in a process.
|
|
|
|
|