BPMN Diagram Symbols & Notation | Lucidchart

10 min

Like flowcharts, BPMN diagrams use a set of standard symbols. Each shape has a specific meaning and business context where it’s most appropriate. If you become overwhelmed while drawing your BPMN chart, simply check this guide.

Common BPMN symbols

A business process model and notation diagram, or BPMN diagram for short, is used to build easy-to-read business process model flowcharts, which can be shared across organizations and industries. BPMN diagram symbols are categorized into four main groups: flow objects, connecting objects, swimlanes, and artifacts. Read this comprehensive guide of BPMN diagram shapes and their meanings below.

BPMN event symbols

Each of these BPMN event symbols can be styled to represent the specific details of their process. The examples below are contained within start event symbols, but they can be combined with any event type. Common event symbols represent the following circumstances:

	Message symbol: Triggers the process, facilitates intermediate processes, or finishes the process.
	Timer symbol: A time, date, or recurring time and date triggers the process, aids intermediate processes, or completes the process.
	Escalation symbol: A step reacts tn an escalation and flows to another role in the organization. This event is only used within an event sub-process. An escalation occurs when someone at a higher level of responsibility within the organization becomes involved in a process.
	Conditional symbol: A process begins or continues when a business condition or business rule is met.
	Link symbol: A sub-process that is part of a larger process.
	Error symbol: A caught error at the start, middle, or end of a process. An event sub-process with an error trigger will always interrupt its containing process.
	Cancel symbol: Reacts on a transaction that was canceled within a sub-process. In an end event, the cancel symbol represents the triggered cancellation of a process.
	Compensation symbol: A refund that’s triggered when operations partially fail.
	Signal symbol: A signal that communicates across different processes. A signal symbol can begin a process, facilitate it, or complete it.
	Multiple symbol: Multiple triggers initiating a process.
	Parallel multiple symbol: A process instance that doesn't start, continue, or end until all possible events have occurred.
	Terminate symbol: Triggers the immediate termination of a process step. All related instances are terminated at the same time.

BPMN activity symbols

Activities describe the kind of work being done in a particular process instance. There are four BPMN activity types: tasks, sub-processes, transactions, and call activities.

	Task symbo;: The most basic level of an activity and cannot be broken down further. For example, a morning routine process might involve the task of turning on your computer.
	Sub-process symbol: Is a group of tasks that fit together particularly well. There are two different views of the sub-process. One is the collapsed view, which has an expandable plus sign to show more details. The other view is an expanded sub-process view, which is large enough to house all the tasks that fully describe the sub-process.
	Transaction symbol: Is a specialized sub-process that involves payment.
	Call symbol: Is a global sub-process that is reused at various points in the business flow.

BPMN gateway symbols

In a BPMN diagram, gateway symbols separate and recombine flows. There are several types of gateways:

	Exclusive symbol: Evaluates the state of the business process and, based on the condition, breaks the flow into one or more mutually exclusive paths. For example, one report will be written if a supervisor grants approval; no report will be generated if the supervisor withholds approval.
	Event-based symbol: An event-based gateway is similar to an exclusive gateway—both involve one path in the flow. In the case of an event-based gateway, however, you are evaluating which event has occurred, not which condition is being met. For example, you might wait to send an email until the CEO has arrived at the office. If the CEO doesn’t arrive, the email will remain unsent.
	Parallel symbol: Differs from other gateways because it’s not dependent on conditions or events. Instead, parallel gateways are used to represent two concurrent tasks in a business flow. An example is a marketing department generating new sales leads and contacting existing leads at the same time.
	Inclusive symbol: Breaks the process flow into one or more flows. For example, an inclusive gateway could involve business actions taken based on survey results. One process may be triggered if the consumer is satisfied with Product A. Another flow is triggered when the consumer indicates that they are satisfied with product B, and a third process is triggered if they aren't satisfied with A.
	Exclusive event-based symbol: Starts a new process instance with each occurrence of a subsequent event.
	Complex symbol: These gateways are used only for the most complex flows in a business process. An ideal use case for the complex gateway is when you need multiple gateways to describe the business flow.
	Parallel event-based symbol: As the name suggests, this gateway is similar to a parallel gateway. It allows multiple processes to run concurrently, but unlike the parallel gateway, processes are event-driven

Connecting objects in a BPMN diagram

Connecting objects are lines that connect BPMN flow objects. There are three different types: sequence flows, message flows, and associations.

	Sequence flow symbol: Connects flow objects in proper sequential order.
	Message flow symbol: Represents messages from one process participant to another.
	Association symbol: Shows relationships between artifacts and flow objects.

Swimlanes in a BPMN diagram

Swimlanes are used to organize process elements in a BPMN diagram. Swimlanes visually group objects into lanes, with each process step added to a separate lane. These elements can be arranged either horizontally or vertically. Swimlanes not only organize activities into separate categories, but they can also reveal delays, inefficiencies, and the workers responsible for each step in a process.

BPMN event types

Events represent an event in a business process.

	Start event symbol: Signals the first step of a process.
	Intermediate event symbol: Represents any event that occurs between a start and end event.
	End event symbol: Signals the final step in a process.

Artifacts in a BPMN diagram

Artifacts represent information relevant to the model but not to individual elements within the process. The three artifact types in a BPMN diagram are annotations, groups, and data objects. All three are used to augment and describe a BPMN process.

Annotations allow the modeler to describe additional flow parts of the model or notation.

Groups organize tasks or processes that are significant to the overall process.

Data objects represent data placed into the process, data resulting from the process, data that needs to be collected, or data that must be stored.

	Data input symbol: Represents data requirements that tasks in the business process depend on.
	Data output symbol: Demonstrates information produced as the result of a business process.
	Data collection symbol: Signifies information collected within a business process.
	Data storage symbol: Represents the ability to store or access data that’s associated with a business process.

How to draw BPMN diagrams

Before you start your BPMN diagram, define the scope of the process you are diagramming. This important step will determine the level of detail you should include. High-level diagrams should be general and leverage subprocesses and additional documentation to detail.

Once you have clearly articulated your scope, it’s time to open a Lucidchart document and start dragging and dropping shapes onto the canvas. If you don’t have a Lucidchart account, you can set one up for free

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you build your own BPMN diagram:

Keep the direction of your flow consistent. Notice that even when moving between pools and swim lanes, the diagram always flows from left to right, never up and down.
Make sure your connectors never overlap. If the direction of your flow is consistent, this point should be relatively simple to follow.
Diagram the primary scenario first. This helps to keep your BPMN diagram clean and easy to interpret.
Include separate end events for distinct end states. For example, there are two end events in the customer pool: one represents a successful end state (eating Chinese food), while the other represents an unsuccessful end state (a long wait and no Chinese food).
Only include one process in each pool. BPMN diagrams can shows multiple processes that interact, but each process has its own pool.
Use dashed message connectors. When two pools interact, use dashed message connectors rather than solid sequence connectors.

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BPMN Gateway Types

BPMN gateways are decision points that can alter the flow's path based on specific conditions. Learn more about the different gateway types in BPMN and then try making them yourself in Lucidchart.

Read BPMN Gateway Guide

BPMN tutorial

This comprehensive Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) guide offers everything you need to know, including what it is, its purpose, its benefits, symbols, and notation.

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BPMN FAQs

What shapes should I use for business process mapping?

We recommend using the BPMN 2.0 shape library for business process mapping on Lucidchart.

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How do I add a sub-process to my BPMN diagram?

We recommend using hotspots and layers to add subprocesses to your business mapping diagram.

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What are the four main categories of BPMN symbols?

BPMN symbols are categorized into four main groups: flow objects, connecting objects, swimlanes, and artifacts.

What do circle symbols represent in BPMN diagrams?

Circles represent events in a business process, with a thin outline indicating a start event, a double outline showing an intermediate event, and a thick outline signaling an end event.

What is the difference between a task and a sub-process?

A task is the most basic level of an activity that cannot be broken down further, while a sub-process is a group of tasks that fit together and can be shown in either a collapsed view with an expandable plus sign or an expanded view displaying all tasks.

How do gateways function in BPMN diagrams?

Gateways are decision points that separate and recombine flows based on conditions, events, or business logic, directing the process along one or more paths.

What are swimlanes used for in BPMN diagrams?

Swimlanes visually organize activities into separate lanes arranged horizontally or vertically, categorizing aspects of a process and revealing delays, inefficiencies, and the workers responsible for each step.

What are the three types of connecting objects in BPMN?

The three connecting object types are sequence flows (connecting flow objects in sequential order), message flows (representing messages between process participants), and associations (showing relationships between artifacts and flow objects).

What do artifacts represent in a BPMN diagram?

Artifacts represent information relevant to the model but not to individual process elements, including annotations for descriptions, groups for organizing tasks, and data objects for data requirements and results.

What is an exclusive gateway in BPMN?

An exclusive gateway evaluates the state of the business process and breaks the flow into one or more mutually exclusive paths based on conditions.

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Contents

BPMN Diagram Symbols & Notation | Lucidchart

Common BPMN symbols

BPMN event symbols

BPMN activity symbols

BPMN gateway symbols

Connecting objects in a BPMN diagram

Swimlanes in a BPMN diagram

BPMN event types

Artifacts in a BPMN diagram

How to draw BPMN diagrams

Everything you need to make a diagram

Business process mapping templates

Business Process Flow Template

Flowchart Template

Processing Mapping Template

BPMN helpful resources

Business process mapping tool

BPMN Gateway Types

BPMN tutorial

BPMN FAQs

Everything you need to make a diagram

Common BPMN symbols

BPMN event symbols

BPMN activity symbols

BPMN gateway symbols

Connecting objects in a BPMN diagram

Swimlanes in a BPMN diagram

BPMN event types

Artifacts in a BPMN diagram

How to draw BPMN diagrams

Everything you need to make a diagram