Quick guide

BPMN Glossary

This glossary brings together BPMN terms from the official specification and additional terms we use at Cardanit to describe concepts or features that build on and enhance BPMN’s core functionality. Each term links to detailed documentation for quick reference.

Activity: Represents work performed in a Process by a person or system. Activities can be atomic (Tasks) or non-atomic (Subprocesses).
Artifact: A non-flow BPMN element that provides additional information about a Process such as a Text Annotation.
Attribute: A property or feature that defines the specific behavior and details of a BPMN element.
Boundary Event: An Event attached to the boundary of an Activity that triggers when a specific condition occurs, often interrupting or influencing the Activity. Includes: Conditional Intermediate Boundary Event, Error Intermediate Boundary Event, Escalation Boundary Event, Message Intermediate Boundary Event, Signal Intermediate Boundary Event and Timer Boundary Event.
BPMN Element: A component of a BPMN model such as an Activity, Event or Gateway.
BPMN Model: The underlying data representation of a BPMN diagram. It defines all the BPMN elements, their relationships, and properties in a machine-readable format (XML).
BPM System: Software and tools used for Business Process Management (BPM).
Business Analyst: A person who analyzes and documents an organization’s business, products, services, and systems to improve current processes.
Business Process Management (BPM): The practice of analyzing, modeling, automating, and optimizing business processes to improve efficiency, reliability, and achieve specific organizational goals.
Call Activity: An activity that invokes another Process allowing the reuse of existing process logic.
Called Element: Defines the process that a Call Activity invokes.
Connecting Element: A BPMN element that links BPMN objects to show relationships or flow. Also referred to as a connector. Includes: Associations, Data Associations, Message Flows and Sequence Flows.
Data Element: Represents data used or produced in a Process, including data that is placed in, collected, generated, or stored by the Process. Includes: Data Input, Data Object Reference, Data Output and Data Store Reference.
Data Input: Represents data used by an Activity or Process to execute.
Data Object: Represents the data objects that are read, written, or updated during the execution of a Process.
Data Output: Represents the data produced or generated by an Activity or Process during execution.
Data Store: A Definition. Represents a location where data is stored and can be accessed by multiple Activities during process execution.
Definition: Specifies the non-visual aspects of a Process, representing underlying data or behavior such as Resources or Messages rather than elements visible in a diagram.
Diagram: A visual representation of a business process created using BPMN elements. In Cardanit, a BPMN diagram is where you design, view, and refine process flows.
End Event: An Event that marks the completion of a Process or (Subprocess). Includes: End Event Error End Event, Escalation End Event, Message End Event, Signal End Event and Terminate End Event.
Error: A Definition. An event that represents a problem or fault in a process, which can trigger an exception flow or interrupt the Process.
Escalation: A Definition. A non-urgent event that signals a Process needs attention or intervention, indicating a condition to be addressed without stopping the Process.
Event: Something that happens during a Process, which can start, interrupt, or end a flow. Can be a Start, Intermediate, Boundary or End Event.
Exception: An event that interrupts a process flow when an error or specific condition occurs.
Exception Flow: The path taken when an exception, error or specific conditions occur.
Flow: Represents the path that Activities, Events, and data follow through a Process. Includes: Message Flows and Sequence Flows.
Gateway: A decision point that controls the divergence or convergence of Sequence Flows in a Process. Includes: Event Based Gateway, Exclusive Gateway and Parallel Gateway.
Intermediate Event: An Event that occurs between the start and end of a Process, influencing or monitoring the flow without starting or ending it. Includes: Intermediate Event, Conditional Intermediate Catch Event, Escalation Intermediate Throw Event, Message Intermediate Catch Event, Message Intermediate Throw Event, Signal Intermediate Catch Event, Signal Intermediate Throw Event, Timer Intermediate Catch Event.
Item Definition: A Definition. Defines the type and structure of data elements used in a BPMN model.
Lane: A sub-partition within a Pool that organizes and categorizes Activities based on roles, responsibilities, or participants in a process.
Message: A Definition. Information or data transmitted between two participants in a Process.
Participant: An entity (person, system, or organization) involved in a Process.
Pool: A container in a diagram representing a participant, used to organize and separate Activities.
Private Business Process: An internal process within an organization that doesn’t involve interactions with external Participants.
Process: A set of Activities and Events designed to achieve a specific business objective.
Process Flow: The sequence of Activities, Events, and Gateways that defines how a Process progresses from start to finish.
Property: A container for data that belongs to a specific element in the Process.
Resource: A Definition. A person, system, or tool used to perform Activities within a Process.
Signal: A Definition. A broadcast event that can be sent and received by multiple BPMN elements without a direct connection.
Start Event: An event that begins a Process or Subprocess. Includes: Start Event, Message Start Event,
Signal Start Event and Timer Start Event.
Subprocess: An Activity that groups a set of related Activities and can be executed as part of a larger Process.
Swimlane: A visual element that organizes a process into Pool and Lanes, separating activities according to the participants responsible for them.
Task: A general, atomic Activity representing a single unit of work performed by a person or system. Includes: Business Rule Task, Manual Task, Receive Task, Script Task, Send Task,
Service Task, Task and User Task.
Token: A conceptual marker that represents the progress of execution through a Process. Tokens move along Sequence Flows, activating BPMN elements as the process runs.
Trigger: A condition or Event that starts, activates, or continues the execution of a BPMN elements, such as an Event or Activity.

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