TUTORIAL

BPMN Modeler for Visio

Index 1

Table of Contents
Index ................................................................................................................................................3
Building a Process Model ..............................................................................................................5
Build the Organization Chart .........................................................................................................6
Create the Organization Page ..................................................................................................... 7
Create the Organization Chart ..................................................................................................... 7
Link the Organization Units .......................................................................................................... 8
Open the Resources Page........................................................................................................... 8
Create a Role ............................................................................................................................... 9
Add the Resources ...................................................................................................................... 9
Adding Phone Number and E-mail to a Resource .........................................................................11
Build the Process Hierarchy........................................................................................................12
Overview of Process Hierarchy.................................................................................................. 12
Create Top-Level Process Flow................................................................................................. 13
Insert Top-Level Links ................................................................................................................ 14
Break Down the Process Flow - Develop Job Description ........................................................ 15
Link the BPMN Shapes .............................................................................................................. 17
Break Down the Process Flow - Initiate Recruitment ................................................................ 18
Break Down the Process Flow - Interview Candidates .............................................................. 20
Review Process Inputs and Outputs ..........................................................................................21
Create the Materials Page ......................................................................................................... 21
Add Materials to the Materials Page .......................................................................................... 22
Define Inter-Process Links ..........................................................................................................23
Define the Remaining Links ....................................................................................................... 25
Create and Assign the Remaining Materials ............................................................................. 26
Create a Flat Map ...................................................................................................................... 28
Assign Probabilities to Outputs of the Gateway Shape ............................................................. 29
Verify Completed Process Map ................................................................................................. 30

Tutorial

Index 2
Assign Process Properties ..........................................................................................................32
Assign Performers to BPMN Shapes ......................................................................................... 33
Make Properties Visible ............................................................................................................. 35
Assign KPIs to your processes ................................................................................................. 37
Displaying Properties in a Separate Text Box ........................................................................... 38
Generate the Function Flow Page ............................................................................................. 39

Tutorial

Index 3

Index
A
Add Materials to the Materials Page 21, 22
Add the Resources 9
Adding Phone Number and E-mail to a Role 11
Assign KPIs to your processes 37
Assign Performers to BPMN Shapes 32, 33
Assign Probabilities to Outputs of the Gateway Shape 28, 29
Assign Process Properties 31, 32
Assign Roles and Resources to Owner 10, 36
B
Break Down the Process Flow - Develop Job Description 15
Break Down the Process Flow - Initiate Recruitment 17, 18
Break Down the Process Flow - Interview Candidates 19, 20
Build the Organization Chart 6
Build the Process Hierarchy 11, 12
Building a Process Model 39
C
Create a Flat Map 27, 28
Create a Role 8, 9
Create and Assign the Remaining Materials 26
Create the Materials Page 21
Create the Organization Chart 7
Create the Organization Page 6, 7
Create Top-Level Process Flow 12, 13
D
Define Inter-Process Links 22, 23
Define the Remaining Links 24, 25
Displaying Properties in a Separate Text Box 38
G
Generate the Function Flow Page 38, 39
I
Insert Top-Level Links 13, 14
L
Link the BPMN Shapes 16, 17
Link the Organization Groups 7, 8
M
Make Properties Visible 34, 35
O
Open the Resources Page 8
Overview of Process Hierarchy 12
R
Review Process Inputs and Outputs 20, 21

Tutorial

Index 4
V
Verify Completed Process Map 29, 30

Tutorial

Building a Process Model 5

Building a Process Model

The following tutorial will take you through the basic steps in creating a simple process
model using the Interfacing BPMN Modeler. The purpose of the tutorial is to illustrate
some key modeling concepts and also to show you how to properly construct a process
model.
The estimated time to complete the tutorial is 1 to 2 hours. For the best results, try to
complete the tutorial in a single session.
Model overview
We will call our simplified model Hire New Employees, which describes the process of
recruiting and hiring a new employee.
Before the recruiting process can begin, the Human Resources department must verify
that the job description is properly updated. Once this has happened, the job is posted to
employees within the company as well as to the general public. Candidates are selected
from the pool of applicants, and the Human Resources manager determines which
candidate to hire after conducting job interviews.
Open and name a new drawing
1 From the Start menu, choose the option All programs > Interfacing BPMN Modeler for
Visio > New BPMN Model. A drawing page entitled New Scenario opens. This is called the
Scenario page and is always the first page of a model. If you are prompted, you will need to
Enable Macros.
2

Right-click the blank page and select the option Properties. This opens the Custom Property
Editor for the Scenario page.

The Scenario Name field is used to enter the name of the enterprise or top-level department
you wish to model. Enter the name Human Resources.

The Description field is used to briefly explain the purpose of your model. Enter the text
Models the processing of hiring a new employee.

Click OK.

Save the drawing

1

From the Visio toolbar, select File > Save.

The first time you save a drawing, the Save As window appears. Choose a location for the
file.

Enter the desired file name.

Make sure that Drawing (*.vsd) is showing in the Save as type field. Select it from the dropdown if it is not displayed.

Click Save.

Tutorial

Build the Organization Chart 6

A complete business process model, to be analyzed properly, requires both an
organization chart and a process hierarchy. The organization chart describes the
departments, the Roles (i.e. roles or assets), and the resources that participate in the
model. The process hierarchy is a sequence of linked activities that represent the flow of
work through the model.
You can create a high-level map of a process without creating an organization chart. The
Interfacing BPMN Modeler also lets you create your organization chart and add
resources "on the fly" as you fill in process and activity details. For the purposes of this
tutorial, we will begin by creating the organization chart and resources.
Begin the tutorial: Build the Organization Chart (on page 6)

Build the Organization Chart

For the sake of simplicity, our organization consists of four units: a top-level Unit called
"Human Resources", which represents the main department, and three sub-units called
"Administration", "Recruitment", and "Network Systems". In this part of the tutorial you will
learn how to create the Organization page, build an organization chart and define
resources for the units in the organization.

Next step in the tutorial: Create the Organization Page (on page 7)

Tutorial

Build the Organization Chart 7

Create the Organization Page

On the Scenario page of our model:
1

Right-click an empty area of the page.

Select Create Organization Page. The page is created and named automatically. When this
procedure ends, you will be on the new Organization page.

Move between the Organization and Scenario pages

1

Locate the navigation tabs at the bottom of the page, to the left of the horizontal scroll bar.

Select the Scenario tab. This brings you to the Scenario page. You will see a rectangle
named Organization, as well as a rectangle named Resources.

Right-click the Organization rectangle.

Select Go To Organization. You will return to the Organization page. (Double-clicking the
Organization rectangle will also bring you to the Organization page.)

Next step in the tutorial: Create the Organization Chart (on page 7)

Create the Organization Chart

1

On the Organization page, double-click the default top-level organization unit named
Enterprise.

When the Custom Property Editor opens, replace Enterprise with "Human Resources" as the
name of the organization. Click OK. This shape will represent the top-level department in our
model.

Drag the FS organization shape from the Scenario Advanced stencil and drop it onto the
Organization page below and to the left of the Human Resources department. Call this unit
Administration.

Drop two other FS organization shapes onto the page and call them Recruitment and
"Network Systems".

Note: You can also open the Custom Property Editor if you right-click the shape and
select Properties.
Next step in the tutorial: Link the Organization Units (on page 8)

Tutorial

Build the Organization Chart 8

Link the Organization Units

1

Double-click the Administration organization to open the Custom Property Editor.

Select the ellipsis "..." button in the Parent field.

Select Human Resources and click Assign Organization. The Human Resources is
assigned as the parent of the Administration unit. Click OK.

Repeat these steps to link the Recruitment and Network Systems organizations to the Human
Resources organization.

Your Organization page should now contain the following shapes:

Next step in the tutorial: Open the Resources Page (on page 8)

Open the Resources Page

Before we can assign individuals (resources) to perform tasks in our model, we must
define the Roles (i.e. roles or assets) and individual resources by creating them on the
Resources page.
1

Select the Resources navigation tab at the bottom of the window.

The Resources page will be displayed.

Next step in the tutorial: Create a Role (on page 9)

Tutorial

Build the Organization Chart 9

Create a Role
In business process models, most activities can be performed either by an individual
resource or by a Role (i.e. roles or assets). Defining Roles allows you to have activities
performed by resource pools without specifying which member of the pool will actually
perform the activity. Each role represents one resource pool.
To create a resource pool, you must create a role, as well as the individual members of
that role, and then associate the members to an organization unit.
Add the Roles
1

From the Scenario Advanced stencil, drag the Role shape and drop it onto the Resources
page.

In the Custom Property Editor, enter Servers + Software as the name of the role.

Click OK.

Repeat steps 1-3 to create two new roles named "HR Manager" and "Administrative
Assistant".

Next step in the tutorial: Add the Resources (on page 9)

Add the Resources

After you create the three new roles, you need to add resources and assign them to the
existing types.
1

From the Scenario Advanced stencil, drag the FS resource shape and drop it onto the
Resources page.

In the Custom Property Editor, enter HR System as the name of the resource.

Click the first ellipsis () button next to the Org field to open the Organization Selection
dialog box. Select Network Systems from the list of available organizations. Click Assign
Organization.

Click the Assign button next to the Roles field to open the Assign Roles dialog box.

Select Servers + Software from the list of available roles and click Assign. Users can select
more than one role if necessary.

Click OK. The HR System resource is linked to the Servers + Software Role and the Network
Systems organization.

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Build the Organization Chart 10

Repeat steps 1-6 using the table below to add new resources:

Note: The Assigned Role and the Assigned Organization must be linked to the Resource
Name.
Resource Name

Assigned Role

Assigned Organization

John Johnson

HR Manager

Recruitment

Brenda Brown

HR Manager

Recruitment

Tom Tompson

Administrative Assistant

Administration

Your Resources page should now resemble the following graphic. You may want to use
the auto-layout function (right-click and select Layout This Page), or drag the shapes
manually, to adjust the layout:

Your Organization page should now contain all of the following shapes. You may want to
use the auto-layout function (right-click and select Layout This Page), or drag the
shapes manually, to adjust the layout:

Next step in the tutorial: Adding Phone Number and E-mail to a Resource (on page
11)

Tutorial

Build the Organization Chart 11

Adding Phone Number and E-mail to a Resource

You can enter the contact information associated with your resources, such as the phone
number and e-mail address.
This can be done in the Custom Property Editor window, next to the phone number and
e-mail fields.
Enter the phone number and email. Save your settings by selecting Apply and closing the
window.
Next step in the tutorial: Build the Process Hierarchy (on page 12)

Tutorial

Build the Process Hierarchy 12

Build the Process Hierarchy

In this section of the tutorial you will learn how to build a process hierarchy consisting of
business processes and BPMN shapes, as well as how to link them together to construct
a logical process flow. You will also learn how to add certain properties to processes and
BPMN shapes so that the flow of work is clear and easily communicated.

Next step in the tutorial: Overview of Process Hierarchy (on page 12)

Overview of Process Hierarchy

Our Hire New Employees process shows the steps involved in hiring a new employee. In
a business process model, each step (locate job description, verify accuracy, post
internally/externally, receive applications, select candidates, interview candidates, offer
position) is represented by a particular BPMN shape.
In large models, it is usually more convenient to group BPMN shapes logically into a
series of separate sub-processes. This way, the process can be displayed at a high level
overview, or in detail.
Next step in the tutorial: Create Top-Level Process Flow (on page 13)

Tutorial

Build the Process Hierarchy 13

Create Top-Level Process Flow

Our Hiring Process contains three sub-processes called Develop Job Description,
"Initiate Recruitment", and Interview Candidates.
Create top-level shapes
1

Go to the Scenario page.

From the BPMN stencil, drag the Process shape onto the Scenario page.

When the Custom Property Editor opens, enter Hire New Employees as the name of the
process.

Click OK. A separate page is created for each process, and a process shape called Hire New
Employees will be added to the Scenario page.

To see the new page created for this process, right-click Hire New Employees.

Choose Go To Process. You will jump to a blank page entitled Hire New Employees. We will
use this page to lay out the rest of the process flow.

Add three processes to the Hire New Employees page. Enter the names "Develop Job
Description", "Initiate Recruitment", and "Interview Candidates" respectively for these new
processes.

Your Hire New Employees page should now look like this:

Moving Between Process Pages

1

Right-click the Hire New Employees page and choose Go To Parent. This takes you to the
Parent page, which is the page that holds the Hire New Employees shape.

Return to the Hire New Employees page by double-clicking the Hire New Employees shape.

Next step in the tutorial: Insert Top-Level Links (on page 14)

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Build the Process Hierarchy 14

Insert Top-Level Links

From the Interfacing menu, select Interfacing Explorer. When the Interfacing Explorer
window opens, note the process hierarchy, as shown below.

Links between processes are often called "Inter-Process Links", which must originate
from a specific step within the source process, and link to a specific step within the
destination process. Since we have not yet built the content contained without our subprocesses, for now we will simply link the process shapes at the top-level.
1

In the Interfacing Explorer, double-click Hire New Employees.

From the BPMN stencil, drag the FS process link shape to the Hire New Employees page
and attach the source (left) end of the link right away (without releasing the mouse) to the
output connector on the Develop Job Description shape. Then release the mouse.

The links Custom Property Editor appears. For now, we will not modify anything. Click OK to
close the window. We will add Materials later on in the tutorial.

Attach the destination (right) end of the link to the input connector on the Initiate Recruitment
process.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 to link the Initiate Recruitment process to the Interview Candidates
process.

Tutorial

Build the Process Hierarchy 15

The Hire New Employees page should now look roughly like this:

Next step in the tutorial: Break Down the Process Flow - Develop Job Description (on
page 15)

Break Down the Process Flow - Develop Job Description

Completing the process flow requires breaking down each process into a series of
specific steps. First, we will consider the process Develop Job Description. Lets say that
we have decided to model three activities in this process: locating the job description,
evaluating the job description and modifying the job description. These activities are
represented by tasks.
The process begins when Human Resources receives a request for a new employee
from an outside department. This request becomes the trigger that initiates all
subsequent activities. In a business process model, the starting point is usually
represented by a start event. The start event is used when it is necessary to introduce
new input that originates outside the model (from another department, in our case). Start
events, in other words, represent incoming data, or occurrences, that trigger the flow of
work within the process.
In our model, we will create a start event named Receive notification which will provide
the input that sets all the other tasks in the model in motion. Consequently, a start event
cannot accept incoming links from another activity within the model.
Here is how we proceed.
1

On the Hire New Employees page, right-click the Develop Job Description process shape
and choose Go To Process. This brings you to a blank page entitled Develop Job
Description.

From the BPMN stencil, drag the Start shape to the page.

When the Custom Property Editor opens, type Receive notification as the name of the
event. Click OK. The shape is added to the page.

Right-click the shape and select Message to indicate the type of start event. The Message
type indicates that some kind of message is being exchanged. In this case, the message is a
request for new employees, from an outside department.

Tutorial

Build the Process Hierarchy 16

When it is necessary to represent an action that is being performed in a business process
model, we use the Task shape.
1

From the BPMN stencil, drag the Task shape and drop it onto the page.

When the Custom Property Editor opens, enter Locate Job Description as the name of the
task. Click OK. The shape is added to the page. Create two more tasks named "Evaluate Job
Description" and "Write/Modify Job Description".

The next action we wish to model is the actual evaluation of the job description. If the job
description is accurate, then it can be posted to the public. If not, it must be modified and
re-evaluated. This represents a classic decision point that is sometimes referred to as an
Exclusive Data-Based Gateway, or an XOR condition. This condition creates a split in
the flow of work with mutually exclusive outcomes.
1

From the BPMN stencil, drag the Gateway shape and drop it onto the page.

When the Custom Property Editor opens, type Job Description Acceptable? as the name of
the shape. Click OK. The gateway is added to the page.

Right-click the shape and select Xor to indicate the type of gateway.

When you have finished, your Develop Job Description page should look roughly like this:

Next step in the tutorial: Link the BPMN Shapes (on page 17)

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Build the Process Hierarchy 17

Link the BPMN Shapes

Now that all of our process steps have been established, we must link the objects
together in order to establish the flow of work between these steps.
1

From the BPMN stencil, select the FS process link shape and attach the source (left) end of
the link to the output connector on the Receive Notification start event. The links Custom
Property Editor appears.

For now, we will not modify anything. Click OK to close the window. We will add Materials
later on in the tutorial.

Attach the destination (right) end of the link to the input connector on the Locate Job
Description task.

Using the data in the table below, you should now be able to insert the remaining
required links. Note that the source of a link is the shape from which the link originates.
The destination of a link is the shape to which the arrowhead is attached.
Source

Destination

Locate Job Description task

Evaluate Job Description task

Evaluate Job Description task

Job Description Acceptable? gateway

Job Description Acceptable?

gateway

Write/Modify Job Description task

Write/Modify Job Description

task

Evaluate Job Description task

When you are finished, you may want to adjust the layout. Right-click a blank part of the
page and select Layout this page. Your process should now look similar to this:

Next step in the tutorial: Break Down the Process Flow - Initiate Recruitment (on page
18)

Tutorial

Build the Process Hierarchy 18

Break Down the Process Flow - Initiate Recruitment

In this section we will add the steps for the Initiate Recruitment process. Choose the
menu options Edit > Go To > Initiate Recruitment to move to the Initiate Recruitment
page.
Lets assume that we have decided to model this process as follows: The secretary (Tom
Tompson) receives the job description. He distributes the posting among the company's
employees and sends the description to external job search web sites. From the
incoming job applications, qualified candidates are selected and contacted to schedule
an interview.
1

From the BPMN stencil, drag three Task shapes to the Initiate Recruitment page and name
them "Distribute Internally", "Distribute Externally", and "Select Candidates for Interview".

Once the job description is posted, job seekers will send their job applications to the
company. Since the act of receiving job applications is more of an event than a task, we
will model this using an Intermediate Event, with the type Message.
1

From the BPMN stencil drag the Intermediate shape to the Initiate Recruitment page.

When the Custom Property Editor opens, enter Receive Job Applications as the name of the
new shape. Click OK.

Right-click the event and select Message to indicate the type of intermediate event.

When the secretary distributes the job description, he may or may not post it both
internally and externally, however at least one of the aforementioned tasks are performed
during a normal recruitment process. This split in the flow of work can be represented
with a different kind of gateway, an Inclusive Gateway, also called an OR condition. This
way, we will indicate that the job could be posted externally, or internally, or both.
1

From the BPMN stencil, drag the Gateway shape to the Initiate Recruitment page

When the Custom Property Editor opens, enter Distribute JD Internally and/or Externally as
the name of the new gateway. Click OK.

Right-click the shape and select Or to indicate the type of gateway.

There are a couple of points that should be noted:

Tutorial

Up to now we have modeled processes sequentially. That is, one activity ends before
the next begins. By dividing the tasks of posting a job description internally and
externally, we have introduced an example of possible parallel activities.
In a business process model, when the flow of work divides among parallel activities,
we must also determine whether the flow must then again merge. Gateways are also
used to merge flows of work, as long as they are of the same type that was used to
split the flow in the first place.

Build the Process Hierarchy 19

The final step in our Initiate Recruitment sub-process is to merge the flow of work after
the job description has been posted, before the applications are received.
1

From the BPMN stencil, drag the Gateway shape to the Initiate Recruitment page.

When the Custom Property Editor opens, enter Wait for completion of one or both tasks as
the name of the gateway. Click OK.

Right-click the shape and select Or to indicate the type of gateway.

Follow the instructions from the previous page to link the BPMN shapes according to the
diagram below:

Next step in the tutorial: Break Down the Process Flow - Interview Candidates (on
page 20)

Tutorial

Build the Process Hierarchy 20

Break Down the Process Flow - Interview Candidates

We now have only one more process to model. Create the shapes illustrated in the
screen shot below with the appropriate names and types. Use the previous steps to help
you create the shapes.

There are two last shapes to add to this process. If the candidate is accepted after the
interview, then the hiring manager will offer the position to the candidate. However, if the
candidate is not suitable for the job, then the process will end immediately. These
occurrences will be represented by end events.
End events are used to mark the final termination of a particular flow of work. In our
model, the end shape indicates the end of the process of hiring new employees. An end
shape with the type Message will represent the acceptance notification that is sent to the
client. An end shape with the type Terminate will represent the candidate's rejection,
since the hiring process will not continue past that point.
1

Create two End shapes with the names "Notify candidate of acceptance" and "Reject
Candidate".

Right-click the "Reject Candidate" shape and select Terminate to indicate the type of event.
Select the Message type for the remaining end shape.

Follow the instructions from the previous page to link the BPMN shapes according to the
diagram below:

We have now completed the breakdown of processes for our model.

Next step in the tutorial: Review Process Inputs and Outputs (on page 21)

Tutorial

Review Process Inputs and Outputs 21

Review Process Inputs and Outputs

In order to complete the process map we need to represent the flow of work through the
model. For this, we will use Materials, which represent the documents, pieces of data, or
objects used within the flow of work. They can also be referred to as the inputs and/or
outputs of BPMN shapes.
Each input or output of a BPMN shape must be represented by a Material attached to a
process link. This link shape is directional: the way it is attached to a shape indicates the
direction of the flow of work through the business process model.
First, let us consider the inputs and outputs of the various processes in our model. The
following table summarizes these. (You may wish to review the tutorial step Break down
the process flow - Develop Job Description.)
Process
Develop
Job Description
Initiate Recruitment

Input
Request for Employees

Output
Job Description

Job description

Job Application

Interview
Candidates

Job Application

Acceptance Notification

The flow of work in our model starts with HR receiving a notification that another
department requires a new employee, and so we can say that Request for Employees is
the input for the Develop Job Description process (as well as for Hire New Employees),
and the job description is the output of that process. The job description is also the input
of the process Initiate Recruitment which distributes the job descriptions and receives job
applications. These job applications are the output of the process Initiate Recruitment
and the input of the process Interview Candidates. At the end of the last process, two
messages can be sent, an acceptance or a rejection notification. However, since the
rejection notification leads to the Terminate end event (because the process does not,
and could not, continue past that point), the only output of the process Interview
Candidates is the acceptance notification.
Next step in the tutorial: Create the Materials Page (on page 21)

Create the Materials Page

1

Go to the Scenario page.

Right-click and select Create Material Page from the pop-up menu.

The new Materials page will be displayed.

Next step in the tutorial: Add Materials to the Materials Page (on page 22)

Tutorial

Review Process Inputs and Outputs 22

Add Materials to the Materials Page

A single material can have many states, meaning that one material may go through
multiple transitions within a process. Here we will create the materials used in our
processes, in all their various states.
1

From the Scenario Advanced stencil, drag the FS material shape and drop it onto the
Materials page.

Enter "JobDesc" in the Name field.

Select Form from the Type drop-down list.

Enter "Approved" in the State field.

Click OK.

Repeat steps 1-5 using the table below to create new material objects.
Material Name

Material Type

Material State

Req.Emp

Form

Received

Job App.

Form

Accepted

Accept Notice

Form

Created

Note: Material types are limited to Forms and Parts. For the purposes of this tutorial,
materials are treated as forms, since they refer to various documents.

If the material state is not displayed, select Interfacing from the main toolbar and then
select Interfacing Options... > Material State > Material State visible on material
page. Select Update State to commit the changes and click OK.
Next step in the tutorial: Define Inter-Process Links (on page 23)

Tutorial

Define Inter-Process Links 23

Define Inter-Process Links

From the Interfacing menu, select Interfacing Explorer. When the Interfacing Explorer
window opens, note the process hierarchy, as shown below.

Links between processes are often called "Inter-Process Links", which must originate
from a specific step within the source process, and link to a specific step within the
destination process. We will now define those source and destination steps for our interprocess links.
1

In the Interfacing Explorer, double-click Hire New Employees.

Double-click the link between the process Develop Job Description and the process Initiate
Recruitment.

The links Custom Property Editor appears.

Click Assign. The Material Selection window appears.

Select JobDesc; state: Approved from the list and click Assign. Click Apply to commit the
changes.

Select the button Select Source Low Link.

When the Source Link Selection window opens, select the gateway Job Description
Acceptable? and click OK.

The Destination Link Selection window will open automatically. Select the gateway Distribute
JD Internally and/or Externally and click OK.

Tutorial

Define Inter-Process Links 24

9

Click OK to close the links Custom Property Editor.

The Hire New Employees page should now look roughly like this:

If the material state is not displayed, select Interfacing from the main toolbar and then
select Interfacing Options... > Material State > Material State visible on links. Select
Update State to commit the changes and click OK.
If you examine the Develop Job Description page, you will see that a low-level link has
been automatically inserted with the same name (and other properties) as our top-level
link. You can drag the end event to its desired place on your page or you can right-click
and select Layout This Page.

A low-level link is also added to the Initiate Recruitment process.

Next step in the tutorial: Define the Remaining Links (on page 25)

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Define Inter-Process Links 25

Define the Remaining Links

We will now follow the same steps in the previous page to link the processes Initiate
Recruitment and Interview Candidates.
1

Double-click the link between the process Initiate Recruitment and the process Interview
Candidates.

The links Custom Property Editor appears.

Click Assign. The Material Selection window appears.

Select JobApp; state: Accepted from the list and click Assign. Click Apply to commit the
changes.

Select the button Select Source Low Link.

When the Source Link Selection window opens, select the task Select Candidates for
Interview and click OK.

The Destination Link Selection window will open automatically. Select the task Conduct
Interview and click OK.

Click OK to close the links Custom Property Editor.

The Hire New Employees page should now look roughly like this:

The Initiate Recruitment page should now look roughly like this:

Tutorial

Define Inter-Process Links 26

The Interview Candidates page should now look roughly like this:

Next step in the tutorial: Create and Assign the Remaining Materials (on page 26)

Create and Assign the Remaining Materials

We've added inputs and outputs to the top level of our process. Now, we must also map
the material flow between the individual tasks and events. To do this, we will go through
each process and determine which materials are being exchanged, and their various
states.
1

Open the Develop Job Description page and double-click the link between the tasks Locate
Job Description and Evaluate Job Description.

In the Material Name field, click Assign.

Since we have not yet created the materials with the proper states used within the processes,
we will create them as we go. In the Material Selection pop-up, click Create New.

In the Name field, enter "JobDesc". Select form from the Type field, and enter "Created" as
the State. Click OK.

Select the newly created material and click Assign. Click OK to close the Custom Property
Editor.

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Define Inter-Process Links 27

Repeat steps 1-5 to create and/or assign the appropriate materials to the following links.
Remember that all materials will be of the type form:

Process

Source

Destinati
on

Material

State

Develop
Job
Description

Evaluate Job
Description

Job
Description
Acceptable?

JobDesc

Reviewed

Job
Description
Acceptable?

Write/Modify
Job
Description

JobDesc

Rejected

Write/Modify
Job
Description

Evaluate Job
Description

JobDesc

Created

Receive
Notification

Locate Job
Description

Req.Emp

Received

Distribute
Job
Description

Distribute
Internally

JobDesc

Approved

Distribute
Job
Description

Distribute
Externally

JobDesc

Approved

Receive Job
Applications

Select
Candidates
for Interview

JobApp

Received

Accept
Candidate?

Reject
Candidate

Reject.Notice

Created

Offer
Position to
Candidate?

Notify
Candidate of
Acceptance

Accept.Notice

Created

Initiate
Recruitment

Interview
Candidates

Next step in the tutorial: Create a Flat Map (on page 28)

Tutorial

Define Inter-Process Links 28

Create a Flat Map

The best way to understand the importance of accurate inter-process links is to generate
a Flat Map page and examine the results.
1

Go to the Scenario page.

Right-click and choose the option Generate Flat Map Page.

3 In the Flat Map Start Point Selection window, select Hire New Employees as the starting
point and click OK.
4

Please wait while the Flat Map page and diagram are created. This may take a few moments.

Your Flat Map page should look something like this:

The Flat Map allows you to view your process "end-to-end", meaning that all sub
processes are expanded to display their contents, and are linked together according to
the IPLs. This allows you to examine your process from beginning to end.
Next step in the tutorial: Assign Probabilities to Outputs of the Gateway Shape (on
page 29)

Tutorial

Define Inter-Process Links 29

Assign Probabilities to Outputs of the Gateway Shape

In a business process model, each outcome of a task or event must have a probability of
100%. A 100% probability means that the outcome will occur every time the activity is
performed.
A gateway is a special case, however. Recall that our exclusive gateway Job Description
Acceptable? has two potential outcomes: 1) either the job description requires
modifications, or 2) the job description is accepted. Since the outcomes of an exclusive
gateway are mutually exclusive, we use probability values of less than 100% to
determine which of the potential outcomes actually occurs each time the activity is
performed. For a gateway only, the sum of the probabilities of all output links must equal
100%.
1

Go to the process page Develop Job Description.

Double-click the link connecting the shapes Job Description Acceptable? and Write/Modify
Job Description.

When the Custom Property Editor opens, type the value "60.00" in the Probability field and
click OK.

For the other link originating from the Job Description Acceptable? gateway, change its
probability to "40.00".

On the process page Develop Job Description, the output links for the gateway are now
displayed with the probability values 60% and 40%, indicating that in 60% of all cases,
the job description requires some kind of modification.

Note: The new probability values have been propagated to the top-level links as well.

Next step in the tutorial: Verify Completed Process Map (on page 30)

Tutorial

Define Inter-Process Links 30

Verify Completed Process Map

The illustrations below show how your process pages should roughly look when using the
Layout This Page function. Feel free to adjust the links and shapes to optimize the layout.

Tutorial

Define Inter-Process Links 31

Once you select Layout This Page, articles can sometimes overlap in your process map. To give
your map a more organized appearance, you can manually move the links between objects by
simply clicking on the link and dragging it clear of the overlapping article. See example below:

Next step in the tutorial: Assign Process Properties (on page 32)

Tutorial

Assign Process Properties 32

Assign Process Properties

Each process should have an owner. The owner is either a role or resource that is
responsible for most or all of the activities in the process. Multiple roles and/or resources
can be assigned as process owners.
The following procedure for assigning a process owner assumes that you have defined
your roles and resources. For the purposes of this tutorial, you will assign process
owners after having built your processes; this information can also be defined while
creating your model.
1

Go to the Scenario page.

Right-click the process shape Hire New Employees and select Properties to open the
Custom Property Editor.

On the Basic tab, click Assign to the right of the Owner field.

In the Owner Selection window, select Servers + Software and click Assign.

Click OK to save your changes and close the window.

Go to the Hire New Employees page and assign the appropriate owners to the following
processes:
Process

Owner

Develop Job Description

Administrative
Assistant
HR Manager

Initiate Recruitment

HR Manager

Interview Candidates

HR Manager

Next step in the tutorial: Assign Resources to BPMN Shapes (see "Assign Performers to
BPMN Shapes" on page 33)

Tutorial

Assign Process Properties 33

Assign Performers to BPMN Shapes

We must also add to our current model the name of the resource that performs each
activity.
1

In the process Develop Job Description, open the Custom Property Editor for the task Locate
Job Description.

Click Assign to the right of the Performers field.

In the Performer window select Resources and then the row Tom Tompson.

Click Assign. This returns you to the Custom Property Editor. The resource, Tom Tompson,
appears in the Performers field.

Click OK to confirm the role/resource assignment and close the window.

To assign the remaining references to the appropriate shapes, we will use the Property
Explorer, which is a much faster method. From the Visio toolbar, select Interfacing >
Property Explorer. The Custom Property Editor will be displayed.

From this window, you can create or edit any object in the BPMN Modeler.
1

From the Hierarchy Explorer (the window in the top-left corner), navigate to the task Evaluate
Job Description (Process Hierarchy > Hire New Employees > Develop Job Description).

Click Assign to the right of the Performers field.

In the Performer Selection window, click the Resource option. Select the resource Brenda
Brown. Click Assign. You can assign another role or resource using step 3 if necessary. This
can be done by re-selecting Assign.

Tutorial

Assign Process Properties 34

3

The resource will be assigned to the task. Click Apply to commit the changes.

Assign the following resources to the remaining shapes. The table below lists the
information you will need.
NOTE: You can also assign roles to shapes.
Process

BPMN Shape

Resource Name

Develop Job
Description

Job Description
acceptable?

Brenda Brown

Receive
Notification

Brenda Brown

Write/Modify Job
Description

Tom Tompson

Distribute Job
Description

Tom Tompson

Distribute
Internally

Tom Tompson

Distribute
Externally

Tom Tompson

Wait for
completion of
one or both
tasks

Tom Tompson

Receive Job
Applications

HR System

Select
Candidates for
Interview

Brenda Brown

Conduct
Interview

Brenda Brown

Accept
Candidate?

John Johnson

Offer Position
to Candidate

John Johnson

Notify Candidate
of Acceptance

Tom Tompson

Reject
Candidate

Tom Tompson

Initiate
Recruitment

Interview
Candidates

Next step in the tutorial: Make Properties Visible (on page 35)

Tutorial

Assign Process Properties 35

Make Properties Visible

Note: The performers you just assigned do not appear on the process pages. This is
because we need to make this property visible.
1

Right-click the Develop Job Description page.

Choose the option Select Visible Properties.

When the Properties Display Selection

Activity_Performer and Process_Owner.

Click the check box Apply Changes on All Pages.

Click OK. The name of the resource and/or role that performs the activity will now be
displayed below the appropriate shape.

Your processes will now look similar to this:

Tutorial

window

opens,

select

the

properties

Assign Process Properties 36

Next step in the tutorial: Assign KPIs to a Process (on page 37)

Tutorial

Assign Process Properties 37

Assign KPIs to your processes

KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. Typically, KPIs are time, cost or quality
targets whose fulfillment determines the performance of a given process. You can create
a KPI page using the Property Explorer. From the tool bar, select Interfacing > Property
Explorer. The Custom Property Editor will be displayed.

We will now create our KPIs and add them directly to the appropriate processes.
1

From the Hierarchy Explorer (the window in the top-left corner), select Hire New Employees.

Select the High Level tab. Make sure that the K.P.I window is displayed.

Click Add. The message No KPI page was found. Do you wish to create one? will be
displayed. Select Yes.

Select Create New... in the Key Performance Indicator window.

Enter Average days to fill open positions in the KPI Name field.

In the Target field, enter "30". Enter "0" in the Start Value field and "Day" in the Unit field. This
means that it should take approximately 30 days to fill an average position. Select OK.

Select the newly created KPI and click Assign. The KPI will now be assigned to Hire New
Employees. Click Apply to commit the changes.

Tutorial

Assign Process Properties 38

8

Use the information in the table below to create three more KPIs for the appropriate
processes:

Process

KPI Name

Target

Start Value

Unit

Initiate
Recruitment

Ratio of
acceptances
to hires

3:1

leave blank

leave
blank

Interview
Candidates

Ratio of
acceptances
to offers

1:1

1:2

leave
blank

Interview
Candidates

Ratio of qualified
applicants to
total applicants

1:3

1:5

leave
blank

Next step in the tutorial: Displaying Properties in a Separate Text Box (on page 38)

Displaying Properties in a Separate Text Box

The FS Property shape on the Scenario Advanced stencil can be used to display certain
properties of BPMN shapes. The FS Property shape can be moved independently of any
other shape.
1

Navigate to the Scenario page and drop the FS Property shape on the Hire New Employees
shape. The Property Selection window will then open.

The Property Selection window always lists certain default properties. Additional properties
are added to the list as you create the properties for a given process or activity shape. Select
the property KPI and click Assign.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 to display the KPI values of the processes Initiate Recruitment and
Interview Candidates.

Next step in the tutorial: Generate the Function Flow Page (on page 39)

Tutorial

Assign Process Properties 39

Generate the Function Flow Page

Now that the process hierarchy for our model is complete, we need to generate a
Function Flow page that reflects the finished model.
Go to the Scenario page. Right-click and select Generate Flow Page. Use Hire New
Employees as the starting point. The page should finally look something like the diagram
shown below.
You'll notice that shapes are now arranged in "swimlanes" corresponding to the assigned
owners and performers. Process links crossing over the boundaries between swimlanes
indicate responsibility hand-offs between organization units.

NOTE: If an object has more than one owner, all the owners organization units will be
displayed in an appropriate lane once the Flow page has been generated.
This completes the tutorial. Return to beginning of the tutorial (see "Building a
Process Model" on page 3)
Interfacing offers a number of additional features for the BPMN Modeler. Ready-to-use
sample process maps based on best practice frameworks are available. Interfacing also
offers BPMN, OCEB, and BPMN Modeler training programs at competitive prices. If you
are interested in receiving sample process maps, or would like to take part in a training
program, please contact: [email protected].

Tutorial