Basic nodes

The three nodes you reach for in almost every process: the entry point, the exit point, and the work in between.

Start

The start node defines the start of a process. There can be multiple start nodes. It is not mandatory, a process may begin with any node, but explicit start nodes make the intent of the diagram unambiguous.

Alternative terms you might use when describing one: entry, kickoff, beginning.

In BPMN a start event is drawn as a circle with a thin single-line border. It is an event, something that happens at the very beginning of a process, and not work that is performed. Its thin border is what distinguishes it visually from an intermediate event (double border) or an end event (thick border).

Input

START 'text input'

Input suggestion

Implicit identifier (the description becomes the identifier):

START 'Start' NEXT

Explicit identifier (a named token, allowing duplicate descriptions elsewhere):

START StartNode 'Start' NEXT OtherNode

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Tips

• If you do not explicitly mention a start, assistants such as the in-editor AI will create one for you unless instructed otherwise.
• When using multiple START nodes in a single process, prefer explicit identifiers so each one is unambiguously referenceable.

End

The end node defines the end of a process. There can be multiple end nodes. Use them to close a dead branch and make the end of a flow explicit. An end node cannot have a NEXT.

Alternative terms you might use when describing one: finish, close, stop.

In BPMN an end event is drawn as a circle with a thick solid border. Its thick border distinguishes it from a start event (thin border) or an intermediate event (double border). An end event signals that a path of the process has completed; a process is only fully finished once every active path has reached an end event.

Input

END 'text input'

Input suggestion

Implicit identifier:

END 'End'

Explicit identifier:

END OtherNode 'End'

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Tips

• If a branch ends without an explicit end, assistants such as the in-editor AI will add an END unless instructed otherwise.
• Because end nodes cannot have a NEXT, they are always terminal in the flow.

Activity

The activity node defines activities executed within a process, something that needs to happen and has a duration. It is the most common node in Instant Process. Use ACTIVITY for general tasks unless you specifically need an event, a gateway, or one of the boundary nodes.

Alternative terms you might use: task, step, action.

In BPMN an activity is drawn as a rounded rectangle. It is the standard notation for a unit of work executed by a participant: the process performs it, rather than simply observing that it happened. When you need to emphasise that something occurs rather than is performed, use an event instead.

Input

ACTIVITY 'text input'

Input suggestion

Implicit identifier:

ACTIVITY 'Task' NEXT

Explicit identifier:

ACTIVITY ActivityNode 'Task' NEXT OtherNode

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Tips

• Use ACTIVITY as the default for any work step. Only reach for EVENT variants when the emphasis is on an occurrence.
• Activities can carry data by sitting adjacent to attachments.

Identifiers

Every node in these examples is reachable by an identifier, either implicit (the description) or explicit (a separate token). See Identifiers for the full rules.