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BPMN diagram tool
BPMN is a notation for business processes with a tighter vocabulary than a plain flowchart. Circles are events, rounded rectangles are tasks, diamonds are gateways, and the shape of each tells a reader what kind it is.
Free, no account, and nothing you draw is uploaded.
Published . By the DiagramDesk team.
The discipline pays off when a process is going to be read by people who did not draw it, or implemented by somebody working from the diagram alone.
When BPMN is worth the notation
- Documenting a process that will be automated
- Work that has to be read the same way by business and technical readers
- Processes spanning several teams or organisations
- Coursework and certification that is marked on correct notation
BPMN or an ordinary flowchart?
BPMN is a standard: its events, tasks and gateways each have a defined shape and meaning, so a diagram drawn by one analyst can be read exactly by another, and some tools can execute it. A flowchart has looser conventions and is quicker to draw and easier for a general reader.
Use BPMN when the diagram will be read by people who know it, or handed to a system that runs processes; use a flowchart when the readers are the people doing the work. A BPMN diagram shown to a team that has never seen the notation often needs a legend longer than the process.
The core BPMN elements
- Start event
- A thin circle. What sets the process off.
- Task
- A rounded rectangle. One unit of work, named with a verb.
- Exclusive gateway
- A diamond. The path takes exactly one of the routes out.
- Parallel gateway
- A diamond with a plus. All routes out happen at once, and later rejoin.
- End event
- A thick circle. Draw one for each distinct way the process can finish.
- Sequence flow
- A solid arrow between elements in the same pool.
Drawing the process
- Open the template: a start event, tasks, a gateway and an end event.
- Use a thin circle for the start and a thick one for the end.
- Put tasks in rounded rectangles named verb-first: Approve invoice, Send remittance.
- Use a diamond for every point the path splits, and label the outgoing flows.
- Add lanes if more than one party is involved.
- Export a PDF for the process documentation.
Ready to draw yours?
The example above opens in the editor, so you can edit rather than start cold.
BPMN questions
Is this full BPMN 2.0?
No. It gives you the core shapes most diagrams use, drawn by hand. It does not validate the notation or export BPMN XML.
Can I export to a process engine?
No. Exports are PNG, SVG, PDF and the editor's own file, so a diagram here documents a process rather than driving one.
When is BPMN worth it over a flowchart?
When the diagram will be read by people who were not in the room, or when the distinction between event, task and gateway carries real meaning.
How do I show a message between two pools?
Use a dashed connector. In BPMN, dashed means a message flow and solid means sequence within one pool.