BPMN: Business Process Model and Notation
BPMN is a standardized graphical notation for business processes. It is designed to be understandable to business stakeholders while also representing process semantics precisely enough for technical use.
Core symbols
Events represent things that start, interrupt or finish a process. Activities represent work. Gateways represent branching, merging or synchronization logic. Sequence flows connect the order of work.
Pools and lanes help show participants or responsibilities without turning an organization chart into the process itself.
Use only the detail you need
A high-level process map may use a small subset of BPMN. A model intended for execution or detailed integration needs more precise event and message semantics.
Model the real process before the ideal process
Teams learn more by documenting how work actually occurs—including exceptions and rework—before drawing an idealized future-state model.