Event
Learn about BPMN events, their types, symbols, and usage in business process modeling.
Generic tasks serve as a starting point for your process model. They can be quickly implemented and later refined into specific subtypes as needed.
Manual Task
Manual tasks are performed by individuals and do not directly interact with the process engine. Examples include organizing documents into folders, resolving invoice discrepancies via phone calls, and engaging with customers face-to-face at the service counter.
User Task
User tasks are performed by individuals and are specifically assigned by a process engine. This engine allocates tasks directly into each user’s task queue. Upon completion, the engine requires acknowledgment, often through data entry or clicking a button. User tasks are integral to Human Workflow Management systems.
Common examples include reviewing an invoice, approving a vacation request, and handling a support ticket.
Receive Task
Receive tasks model the receipt of a message as a distinct task within the process flow. This task type serves as an alternative to the message-catching event, represented in BPMN 2.0 by the symbol of an empty envelope.
Receive Task (Instantiating)
When a receive task is designated to initiate a process, effectively substituting the message start event, this is indicated by a small event icon located in the top left corner.
Send Task
Send tasks are technical tasks executed by the process engine, primarily used for invoking web services asynchronously via message queues.
Script Task
Script tasks are executed directly within the process engine and must be written in a language that the engine can interpret.
Service Task
Service tasks refer to operations performed by software applications, automatically executed as part of the process workflow. Typically, BPMN presupposes these functions are delivered via web services, although alternative implementations are possible. These tasks play a crucial role in process-oriented integration, aligning closely with the principles of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).
Business Rule Task
BPMN 2.0 introduces the business rule task, specifically designed for applying business rules within a process.
Activities are central to defining the specific steps in a process and how work is done to achieve the desired outcome in a BPMN model. They can be simple tasks or complex sub-processes that contain multiple activities and flow conditions.
Additional types of activities include collapsed sub-processes, multi-instance tasks, and ad-hoc sub-tasks.