Glossary

The key terms from Bpanda and BPMN, briefly explained.

The entries are listed in alphabetical order.

Process Steps List

The process steps list in Bpanda presents the nodes of a process diagram (process steps, events, gateways) as text. The list can be restricted to specific node types and roles.

An activity describes a simple or complex task in a business process. Activities include process step (task), call activity (global task, sub-process), (embedded) subprocess and transaction. The specific behavior of an activity is described by the activity type and can be indicated by a symbol. Activity types are, for example, loop task, multiple instance, ad hoc subprocess, transaction and compensation.

Architecture Element

An architecture element is a standardized model building block in ArchiMate for representing a business, application-related or technological component of an enterprise architecture.

Task

A task represents something in Bpanda that has to be completed by the user. This can be a work step in a job, an assessment in a review, an answer to a question (Q&A), a revision of a process version, a risk analysis and so on.

Call Activity

A call activity represents either a reusable process step that is defined outside the process (global task) or an independent, self-contained process that can be called by various processes (sub-process).

Evaluations

Evaluations give you the option of evaluating various architecture elements in your Process Space. Various evaluation types are available for this. You will find the evaluations in the Main menu under Architecture in the Evaluations tab. Which evaluations your Process Space keeps is determined by a BPM Manager under Settings > Manage Process Space > Architecture Settings. See Available evaluations.

Condition

see Gateway and Flow

User Group

Each user can be assigned to none, one or several groups, which each define the rights of the group members.

Relationship

A relationship is a standardized connection type in ArchiMate that describes the semantic relationship between a process and an architecture element or between two architecture elements.

BPM Manager

The BPM Manager organizes the company’s process landscape. They perform the initial import of the processes, build up the process hierarchy and link it with processes. BPM Managers have access to all versions of all processes. They keep an overview of important topics such as quality assurance and compliance.

see Breadcrumb Navigation

Breadcrumb navigation shows the path to the current element relative to the root element as a line of text. It improves orientation within branched element trees by offering links to the respective parent elements.

Opportunity

An opportunity is an event that may occur and that can have a positive effect on the process and/or its results.

Diagram

A diagram is a graphical representation of the relationship between data, facts or information. In a process diagram, the representation takes the form of a graph consisting of nodes (objects, usually process steps) and edges (relationships, usually sequence flows).

Decision

see Gateway

Event

An event represents an occurrence within a process. Processes have at least one start event and one end event. In addition, a distinction is made between intermediate events and boundary events. Events usually have a specific type, for example message, condition or error, but they can also be multiple events.

Event

see Event

Flow

The flow of a process sequence or of messages or data within a process is represented by what are known as edges. A distinction is made between sequence flows, message flows and associations (mainly for data flows). Conditional flows allow conditions to be defined without using gateways.

Process Release

Processes are subject to a release process before they are published. The basic elements are the review (with commenting on the process as well as the final assessment), the actual release by approving the revision and the publication of the process. Discarding an obsolete revision is also possible. MID sets up the sequence of the release process as a BPMN process when creating the Process Space.

Gateway

A gateway represents the flow logic within a process. The flow in the process is branched or merged by gateways depending on conditions. Gateways determine whether one, several or all subsequent paths are followed, so they can be exclusive, inclusive, parallel or complex.

Business Process

A business process is a business workflow considered in isolation. It consists of a set of related activities that jointly pursue a goal and are typically carried out in the context of organizational units with defined roles and relationships.

Guide

The Guide in Bpanda enables controllable, step-by-step navigation through a process diagram.

Job

A job translates a published process into a series of activities that are to be carried out step by step by the respectively assigned employees. Comments and analyses on the job form the basis for process improvements.

Edge

A graph describes relationships between the elements of a set of objects. The relationships between the object nodes are referred to as edges. In process diagrams, edges mainly occur as sequence flows, message flows or associations.

Node

A graph describes relationships between the elements of a set of objects. The objects are referred to as the nodes of the graph. Process diagrams feature a wide variety of node types, for example collaborations, processes, lanes, sub-processes, process steps (tasks), events or gateways.

Collaboration

A collaboration represents the interaction between its participants, who each carry out separate processes but exchange messages with one another.

Lane

A lane represents responsibilities within a process, that is, specific areas of responsibility, roles or systems.

Modeler

The Modeler is a web-based editor for BPMN diagrams. With the Modeler, Bpanda offers a lightweight alternative to modeling tools so that users with the Designer role can capture and edit processes directly.

Process

A process is a set of logically linked individual activities that are carried out in order to achieve a specific business or operational objective. It is triggered by a defined event and transforms inputs into a process result through the use of tangible and intangible goods and in compliance with specific rules and conditions.

Process Participant

A Process Participant is explicitly assigned to at least one process. These processes appear under “Relevant processes”. The Process Participant is notified automatically when changes are made.

Process Data

Within the process, data represents process-relevant information. Data is entered, stored temporarily or permanently and output. Data objects store process-specific data and are only available within the process. Data stores store information both across processes and beyond the end of the process in terms of time.

Designer

A Designer has been granted permission in the account administration to import processes and to design them with the integrated Modeler. Designers have access to all versions of all processes. Only a Designer can become a BPM Manager. See Defining Designers and BPM Managers.

Process Map

A process map serves to clearly present the relationships between business processes, organizational units and IT elements of a process landscape. The top level of a process map gives an overview of the processes recorded in the company. Further process maps represent part of the corresponding hierarchy level in the process landscape.

Process Contributor

A Process Contributor is explicitly assigned to at least one process in order to provide the Process Owner with professional support. In addition to the options available to a Process Participant, a Process Contributor has access to all process versions.

Process User

Essentially, a Process User has the option of using process data visible to them, asking questions and making suggestions for process improvement. In principle, all currently valid process versions are visible to the Process User.

Process Space

In Bpanda, the Process Space describes the entirety of the managed processes. Access to the processes is organized by means of a process map, which may have several levels.

Process Revision

A process revision is the preliminary stage of a process version. It serves to subject a further developed version of a process version to a critical review. When the revision is released, a new process version is created.

Process Step

A process step represents a single, self-contained task or work unit within a process that is not subdivided any further. In the process diagram, a process step is represented as a task, which can be typed according to the manner of execution.

Process Owner

As an expert, the Process Owner is responsible for the content of a process. They are the contact person for all Process Users and have all permissions for the process they are responsible for. They can set the visibility of the process, manage the roles and the attachments for the process and organize the release of a new process version by means of a review. You become a Process Owner when you import a process. In the case of a new process, the draft determines who becomes the Process Owner on first submission; by default this is whoever creates the draft, see Design a Process. In addition, BPM Managers and other Process Owners can add you.

Process Version

A process version is a specific stage of a process with all associated components. Different versions represent the change and further development of a process over time. This makes it possible, for example, to browse through the history of a process diagram.

Q&A

Q&A is the abbreviation for Questions & Answers, primarily relating to a process. They are an important basis for the exchange of information.

Boundary Event

A boundary event processes a triggering event type. If the boundary event is interrupting, the activity to whose boundary the event is attached is cancelled (in the case of a multiple instance, all instances are cancelled). If the boundary event is non-interrupting, the activity continues its execution (only possible for message, signal, timer and conditional events, not for error, cancel and compensation events). Execution follows the sequence flow connected to the boundary event. For message boundary events, the behavior is the same as for receive tasks.

Review

A review serves to assess a process version (revision). Individual details can be commented on and suggestions for improvement can be made. A Process Owner or BPM Manager creates the review and thereby determines the Review Owners and participants. Review Owners can access up-to-date information on the progress of the review at any time.

Review Participant

A Review Participant is assigned to at least one review. The assignment is made when the review is created; while it is running, Review Owners and BPM Managers can change the participants via Manage Review. A Review Participant has access to the process version in the review that has not yet been released.

Review Owner

The Review Owner is responsible for a review. They are the contact person for all Review Participants and have all permissions for the review they are responsible for. Whoever creates the review is initially the Review Owner themselves and can define further or different ones.

Risk

A risk is an event that may occur and that can have a negative effect on the process and/or its results.

Role

A role provides the user with specific functions, either directly or through membership of a group. Several roles can be assigned to a user. They can then use all the functions of these roles in a process. If they are blocked for the process, they do not see the process despite their roles.

Search Engine

A search engine is a program for researching data stored in an IT system. Search engines create an index for the data base in order to answer search queries via keywords with a results list sorted by relevance. After a search term has been entered, a search engine returns a list of references to potentially relevant data, usually presented with a title and a short excerpt of the respective source.

Task

see Process Step

Subprocess

A subprocess is not an independent process. It is embedded directly in the surrounding process, which is why it may only have a blank start event and may not be subdivided by lanes.

Transaction

A transaction is a self-contained operation that is either carried out completely or whose changes have to be completely undone in order to restore the original state.

Sub-process

A sub-process is a self-contained, independent process that can be called by various processes. It is represented in the calling process by a call activity.

Area of Responsibility

see Lane

Split

see Gateway

Merge

see Gateway

Responsibility

A responsibility gives a Bpanda role in a process a more precise name that expresses a specific competency. It always applies only to that process. Process Owners can thus be differentiated, for example, into Process Owner and Process Manager or into business and technical owners.