Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a standardized graphical notation that provides a method to visualize business processes in a workflow. One of the key features of BPMN is the use of swimlanes, which help organize and clarify the roles and responsibilities of different participants in a process. This guide will explore the concept of swimlanes, their structure, and how to effectively use them in BPMN diagrams.
In BPMN, a pool represents a participant in a collaboration, which can be a company or a role within a company. Each pool can contain one or more lanes, which are used to further delineate responsibilities among different roles, systems, or departments.
A white box pool might represent a company’s order processing department, detailing the steps involved in processing an order, such as receiving the order, checking inventory, and shipping the product.
A black box pool could represent a supplier in a supply chain process, where the internal workings of the supplier’s process are not disclosed, but the interaction points (message flows) with the ordering company are shown.
Lanes within a pool help identify who is responsible for specific activities. They can represent various entities, such as roles, systems, or departments.
In an order fulfillment process, lanes might include:
Sublanes can be used to provide additional detail within a lane, often representing sub-roles or specific tasks. For instance, within the Warehouse lane, sublanes could represent different roles such as Forklift Driver and Picker.
An Orchestration Model describes how a single participant coordinates a set of activities. This model can be likened to a sports team, where a quarterback (the orchestrator) calls the plays and assigns roles to team members.
In a football analogy:
Best Practices for Using Swimlanes
BPMN swimlanes are a powerful tool for visualizing and organizing business processes. By effectively using pools and lanes, organizations can clarify roles, responsibilities, and interactions, leading to improved communication and efficiency. Whether modeling simple processes or complex collaborations, understanding and applying swimlanes will enhance your BPMN diagrams and facilitate better process management.