If you search the Internet for ARIS and BPMN modelling, you will find a lot of misinformation stating BPMN is not a first class modelling language in ARIS. This is surprising, because the various ARIS Platform products already have BPMN support since a long time. In the following, I will give you a brief overview of the BPMN modelling capabilities of ARIS.
My colleague Erik Hagen and I have put together an ARIS Expert Paper describing the BPMN modelling capabilities of ARIS. Besides the core modelling of BPMN diagrams, ARIS provides some more advanced BPMN features like BPMN process simulation and syntax checking. Today, I focus on the core modelling features and describe probably next week the remaining topics.
Let's take a look first at a BPMN diagram created with ARIS Business Architect version 7.1:
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The diagram shows a production process for car doors. In this simplified process, two departments are involved in the process: production and quality assurance. Both departments are represented in the diagram by two pools. The BPMN process model describes the flow within each department, but also the interaction between both departments.
While modelling this process, ARIS supports the modeller in creating a valid BPMN diagram. For example, ARIS automatically selects the correct relationship type between the different BPMN activities. It can be seen that different relationship types must be used if connecting two activities within a pool or if connecting two activities belonging to two different pools. ARIS also resizes the pools automatically while adding additional objects to a pool and therewith exceeding the current size of the pool. A palette with all BPMN elements, shown in the screenshot below, is available next to the diagram so that new objects can be added to the diagram easily.
Of course, you can layout and pimp the visual representation of the diagram as it suits your needs. Colours of the various objects can be selected freely and visual effects like colour gradient can be added so that the diagrams are visually appealing. That is important so that you can show your co-workers that business process management is not a boring topic. ARIS also provides simulation capabilities and syntax checks. However, I will give you a brief overview about those features next week. If you already interested in more details, check out the belonging ARIS Expert Paper about "Adopting BPMN with ARIS" in the ARIS Expert Paper library.
Hi Tom,
seems you found a problem here. I have forwarded your description to the development teams.
Regards,
Sebastian
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Hello together,
I`ve been reading through some interesting topics about BPMN.
Since I have a similar problem about the missing Symbols in the ARIS Business Architecture 7.1... I just want to know how can I add them? I also can`t use F12 to add or any right button click.
I hope for some advices since I`m just started to learn the method.
Regards,
Phong Dao
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I am trying to find some BPMN2.0 symbols such as Signal Top Level, Catching, Throwing, etc but I can't find this layer of 'events' symbols even if I use the Entire Method. Other examples of Events include: Conditional, Error Start Event.
Thank you
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Hi Dan,
I'm not sure whether you are using ARIS Express or ARIS Platform. In case of ARIS Platform, just right-click on the event and select BPMN from the context menu. There, you can change the event type and also specify if it is a catching or throwing event. Here a screenshot:
ARIS Express doesn't support the notion of catching/throwing events. ARIS Express is meant for entry users and catching/throwing events are an advanced concept of BPMN, which will just confuse users. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the distinction either. The difference between the icons is so minimal that most users will not even notice it.
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I am using ARIS Business Architect for SAP 7.1 and I don't see the BPMN when I right click. How can I view it?
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BPMN 2 support was made available with the last service release of ARIS Platform products. This service release is called 2010_05. You are probably running an older version, which doesn't have BPMN 2 support yet. You might check with your ARIS admin to upgrade your installation.
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Hello together,
i want to use in BPMN 2.0 Diagrams (ARIS Express 2.0) Subprocesses with Error Events to comunicate with the Parent Process. (see in BPMN v2.0 Beta 1, page 255)
But the Tool don't accept the Mapping from the Events to a Action in the Parent Process.
How can I these BPMN feature in ARIS Exporess?
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The example given in the BPMN 2.0 spec (page 255) can be modeled with ARIS Express and ARIS Business Designer/Architect.
But: In the model above there seems to be a pool or a lane (see the 2 horizontal black lines). If the activity "Bearbeitung 2nd level" is a subprocess of the (parent) process contained in the pool, it must be displayed within the pool´s boundaries, too.
Thus, the example given above dffers from the example shown on page 255 in the spec.
Regards,
Jutta
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Using BPMN is it possible to connect a lane or a pool to an organizational unit or person?
Thanks
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Hi Anatole,
you can map a pool to an organisational unit or a role in a BPMN 2 allocation diagram. Mapping of lanes is not supported, because according to the BPMN spec they don't carry any semantics beside their names.
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Hello everyone,
We are analyzing the filter BPMN 2.0 ARIS 7.1 and have some doubts and we would appreciate if you could help us.
1. What is the correct way to use the symbols of typo Lane in the type model BPMN process diagram (2.0 beta)? My question is due to ARIS 7.1 doesn't allow the symbol Pool in this type of model.
2. Do you have any advice for the best use of the type model BPMN conversation diagram (2.0 beta)? ¿What is the difference between symbols Communication and Sub-Conversation?
Finally, congratulations for the new features of ARIS, they are great,
Thank you very much,
Raquel
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Hi Raquel,
regarding the first question: in process diagrams, pools are not allowed. But this is correct. If you want to consider the interaction of organizations in your BPMN process, you just needed to use the BPMN collaboration diagram, which allows pools also.
Bye,
Frank
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Hi Raquel,
I try to answer your questions.
ad 1) Lanes in the BPMN process diagram:
According to the BPMN spec (see chapter 10.7; p. 283) lanes represent sub-partitions within a process (sometimes within a pool). They are used to organize and categorize activities. Unfortunately, the meaning of the lanes is up to the modeler, BPMN does not specify the usage of lanes. Lanes are often used for such things as internal roles or internal departments or systems.
As you know, the modeling of organizational structures, system architectures, data structures etc. is out of the BPMN scope (see chapter 7.1, p. 14). Consequently, a link between a lane and objects representing organizational elements, system components, ... is not provided.
In my opinion, the problem is that you want to combine two different metamodels: the ARIS method (which is rich in semantics) with BPMN (which is semantically poor).
Pools are only allowed where interactions between participants are modeled: in collaborations (and conversations).
ad 2) BPMN conversation diagram:
BPMN conversation diagrams are used to represent interactions between participants on a high(er) level of abstrction (bird´s eye view). They provide an overview of interactions.
Communications can be compared to tasks, sub-conversations can be compared to sub-processes. I admit: the terms are very confusing. But OMG discusses about renamings.
Details can be found in chapter 11 in the BPMN the spec (pp. 293)
Regards,
Jutta
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We now close comments for this thread as it is not very intuitive to keep track of them. If you have questions about using BPMN in ARIS, please post to our BPMN Community group. Your question will be more visible there and probably receive more answers.
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