Intended Purpose of the Business Process Element in BPMN 2.0?

[PWarren]

Good day all,

I'm looking for a clear and concise explanation of what the intended purpose is for the business process element or object in the tool box for BPMN 2.0.

We have had and have a current discussion as to how it should be used, it's in our Team Standards Guide, which I refined a bit 2 years ago. I disagree that it needs to be used to represent every single process in our hierarchy, including sub processes and call activities.

My position is that all of these can be represented in higher level diagrams, in groups or 'branches' of a larger 'tree' process hierarchy. I fail to see why anyone would want use them to hyperlink connect to the diagrams representing lower level sub process and call activity, especially with their limited connection shape script. Both the sub process and call activity elements can be used just like the business process element, which then has the advantage of differentiating between a high level process, a sub process and call activity visually.

Thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?

[Geert Bellekens]

BPMN 2.0 is pretty clear on when to use what.

A business process object can (should) be used for any process from the most high level to the smallest ones. There is no size restriction to a business process object.
It always contains one or more steps that are displayed on the diagram owned by this business process.

The only "sort of" exception is a sub-process.
A sub-process is in fact nothing more that a named group of steps in your Business Process.
A sub-process is only known to the owning Business Process and cannot be called from another process => they are not re-usable.

As soon as you want to re-use a (sub)process you have to create a proper Business Process and call it using a call-activity.

Geert

PS. A business process object should never be used on a BPMN business process diagram. Always use a call-activity.
Only on "overview" diagrams that simply list all available business processes you can use business process elements.

[PWarren]

Thank you for the very clear explanation!