01
The outline decides the family
A circle is an event, a rounded rectangle an activity, a diamond a gateway. Read the outer shape before anything else.
BPMN 2.0 reference
BPMN 2.0 Cheat Sheet: Symbols, Notation and Examples
Every BPMN 2.0 symbol you need to read or draw a process, grouped the way a model is built: events, activities, gateways, connections, swimlanes and artifacts. Each row gives the shape, what it means and when to use it.
Download the BPMN 2.0 poster (PDF)
Free BPMN 2.0 poster. No signup.
Draw a model with these symbols →Read the notation column before the shape: BPMN distinguishes an event from an activity by the outline, and one gateway from another by the marker inside the diamond. The four rules below cover most of what the rest of the sheet lists in detail.
02
The marker decides the behaviour
The same outline can mean different things. The symbol inside turns a plain task into a user task, or a plain gateway into an exclusive or parallel split.
03
The line style decides the relationship
A solid arrow is sequence inside one process. A dashed arrow with an open circle is a message between participants.
04
The container decides the owner
A pool is one participant, usually an organisation. The lanes inside it are the roles that hand work to each other.
1
Events
Something that happens. The outline tells you where it sits in the process; the marker inside tells you what kind of trigger it is.
Start event
Thin single circle
Where a process instance begins. A plain start event is triggered manually; a marker inside turns it into a message, timer, signal or conditional start.
Intermediate event
Double thin circle
Something that happens between start and end: a wait (catching) or a notification (throwing). Attach it to a boundary to model an exception on an activity.
End event
Thick single circle
Ends one path or the whole instance. A terminate end event stops every parallel path; a plain end event only ends its own path.
2
Activities
The work. A rounded rectangle is a task; the marker in the corner says who or what performs it.
Task
Rounded rectangle
A unit of work at the lowest level of detail. Use it when the type of performer is not yet known or not relevant.
User task
Rounded rectangle with a person marker
Work a human performs, usually through a form or an inbox. The task waits until that person completes it.
Service task
Rounded rectangle with a gear marker
Work the system performs without a person: an API call, a calculation or a sync with another application.
Script task
Rounded rectangle with a script marker
An automated step the process engine executes from a script. Use it for small rules, not for integrations.
Business rule task
Rounded rectangle with a table marker
A decision delegated to a rules engine, such as an eligibility or scoring table. The rule stays maintainable outside the diagram.
Manual task
Rounded rectangle with a hand marker
Work done without system support. Model it when the step matters to cycle time but leaves no system trace.
Receive task
Rounded rectangle with an envelope marker
Waits for an external message before the process continues. Distinct from a message start event, which begins a new instance.
Send task
Rounded rectangle with a filled envelope marker
Sends a message to another participant and continues. Use it for a hand-off you want visible on the diagram.
Sub-process
Rounded rectangle with a [+] marker
A collapsed group of activities. It keeps the top level readable while the detail stays available one level down.
Loop
Activity with a circular arrow
Repeats while or until a condition holds. Use it for rework and retry logic rather than drawing the arrow back by hand.
Multi-instance
Activity with three vertical bars
Runs once per item in a collection, in parallel or in sequence. The honest notation for "for each line item or approver".
Compensation
Activity with a rewind marker
The handler that undoes work already done, such as a refund after a failed shipment. It is not an error path.
3
Gateways
The decisions and splits. The diamond is always the shape; the marker inside decides the behaviour.
Exclusive gateway
Diamond with an X
Exactly one outgoing path. This is the default choice for an if/else decision, and the only one where the conditions must be mutually exclusive.
Inclusive gateway
Diamond with a circle
One or more outgoing paths, depending on the conditions. Use it when several branches can run at the same time.
Parallel gateway
Diamond with a plus
Every outgoing path runs, with no condition. The matching join waits for all incoming paths before continuing.
Event-based gateway
Diamond with a pentagon inside
The next step is decided by whichever event happens first, such as a message or a timeout. Use it for race conditions, not for data decisions.
4
Connecting objects
How elements relate. The line style separates sequence inside a process from communication between processes.
Sequence flow
Solid arrow
The order of activities inside one process or pool. It cannot cross a pool boundary.
Message flow
Dashed arrow with an open circle
Communication between two participants, such as a customer and a supplier. It never replaces a sequence flow inside one process.
Association
Dotted line
Links an artifact, such as a data object or an annotation, to the element it describes. It carries no sequence.
5
Swimlanes
Who does the work. Pools separate organisations; lanes separate roles inside one organisation.
Pool with lanes
Rectangle divided into horizontal lanes
A participant and its internal responsibilities. Put the hand-offs between roles on the lane boundaries, where delays usually appear.
Collapsed pool
Plain black-box rectangle
A participant you do not model internally, such as a customer or an external system. Keep it visible for the message flow.
6
Artifacts
Supporting information. Artifacts add context; they never change the process logic.
Data object
Page icon
Data the process reads or produces, such as an invoice or a request. Use it to show what a hand-off actually moves.
Data store
Cylinder
Persistent storage the process reads from or writes to, such as a database or a case system.
Group
Rounded dashed rectangle
A visual grouping for readability. It has no execution semantics, so do not use it to model a sub-process.
Text annotation
Text with a bracket
A comment for the reader: a rule, an assumption or a note on why the step exists. It is not executed.
Take the reference with you
The free BPMN 2.0 poster PDF puts every element family on one sheet, with the same symbols this page explains: events, activities, gateways, connections, swimlanes, data and artifacts. Download it and keep it next to the model you are drawing.
See how ProcessMind draws these symbols →Use the symbols in a model, not only on paper
Describe a process and the AI drafts a BPMN 2.0 model with these elements. You edit it, review it with the process owner and export standard BPMN XML.