How to Create BPMN Diagram Online?
Want to visualize your process / workflow? We will provide you with an introduction on BPMN and let you know how you can create BPMN for process and workflow design, using an online BPMN software.
[Open & Edit this BPMN Diagram in Visual Paradigm Online]
What is BPMN?
Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a well-known modeling standard to use in business process modeling. It’s often created to aid business process analysis, business process improvement or reengineering. BPMN visualizes business processes from the beginning to the end, showing the sequence of process activities and the information flow between the participants.
Purpose of BPMN Diagram
BPMN symbols are so simple that can be understood by everyone, including business analysts who create and improve business processes, technical developers who implement the process changes, business managers who are monitoring changes, and even non-technical people like stakeholders who want to understand how the future process will look like. BPMN is an effective communication tool as it provides a common and simple visual language for specifying business processes, which eliminates miscommunication between the different parties.
[Open & Edit this BPMN Diagram in Visual Paradigm Online]
Understanding BPMN Diagrams
In BPMN, the processes are described by means of diagrams with a series of graphic elements. Such visual presentation makes it easy for the users to understand the logic of a process. BPMN has been primarily developed to design and read both simple and complex diagrams of business processes.
For that, the BPMN standard classifies the graphic elements by categories: as a result, the elements are easily recognized by the users who work with business process diagrams.
BPMN symbols
There are five basic categories of BPMN elements. Each of them represent a unique aspect of business process.
Swimlane
Swimlanes are graphical containers that represent participants of a process. There are two types of swimlanes — pools and lanes.
Flow Elements
Flow elements are elements that connect with each other to form business workflows. Flow elements are the primary elements that define the behavior of a process. There are three kinds of flow elements: Events, Activities and Gateways.
Connecting Objects
Flow objects are not isolated, but rather connected in order to form a flow. The connectors that connect the flow objects are called connecting objects. There are four kinds of connecting objects: Sequence flows, message flows, associations and data associations.
Data
Data is mainly information needed or produced when executing a business process. There are four kinds of data: Data objects, data inputs, data outputs and data stores.
Recommended BPMN Software
Visual Paradigm Online is an online diagramming tool that supports a wide range of business and technical diagram types such as BPMN, UML, flowchart, ArchiMate, ERD, DFD, Org. Chart, Mind Map, Wireframe, Floor plan. Users are offered a free online workspace and allows creation of an unlimited number of diagrams and shapes.
Pros
- Support many diagram types: UML, ERD, Flowcharts, organizational charts, wireframes, Influence Diagram, Floor Plan, Network, Rack, Circuit, Piping, SWOT, Block
- Allow click to use — No prior registration and download required.
- Dashboard for data organization and visualization
- Cross platform: Runs well on modern web browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Internet Explorer 8;
- Easy to use: Create and connect shapes with drag and drop. Connectors are attached to shape border and will never separate apart (unlike many other tools!).
- Beautiful drawing: Apply different formatting options, which include shape and connectors colors (fill/gradient), 40+ connector types, background color, RTF caption, font options, shadow effect, etc
- Alignment guide helps you position shapes nicely.
- Build your own shape library to create diagrams with your own shapes.
- Start quickly with the pre-developed diagram templates. Hundreds of templates are provided.
- Print and export your drawing into document and image formats (PDF, PNG, JPG, SVG, GIF)
- Imports from Visio
- Add text, notes, external images, web links to diagram
- Google integration — Sign in with Google and Google Drive integration
Trial & Prices
- Free edition for non commercial use — No ad and allows the creation of unlimited no. of diagrams and shapes, no restriction of access period
- Upgrade to Starter / Advance Edition at $4/mo and $9/mo, for more diagram types and advanced features
How to Draw BPMN?
- Open the BPMN diagram editor in Visual Paradigm Online. (No registration required.)
- Form your BPMN process diagram with symbols like task, sub-process, gateway, pool, lane, etc. Select the symbols from palette and put them on the canvas. Connect them with drag-and-drop.
- Save your finished work (File > Save as) to our cloud repository for future access. You can also export your work into image (JPG, PNG, PDF, SVG, etc) and share it with your co-workers.
