What is BPMN 2.0 and why should I care about it?

Last Updated: January 12, 2026

Quick Answer

BPMN 2.0 (Business Process Model and Notation) is the international standard for business process modeling, maintained by the Object Management Group (OMG). It provides a standardized, machine-interpretable graphical notation that enables business analysts, developers, and stakeholders to create, share, and execute process diagrams in a common language. BPMN 2.0 is critical because it eliminates ambiguity, ensures consistency across organizations, and enables direct execution of process models on process automation platforms.

Why BPMN Matters

In organizations, you'll find business processes everywhere - from recruitment and onboarding to marketing, finance, and project management. These processes exist at all organizational levels. However, describing processes in natural language leads to misunderstandings and inconsistency. Using custom graphical notations without a worldwide standard means stakeholders may interpret your diagrams differently than intended.

BPMN solves this problem by providing a standardized, easy-to-understand way to represent processes that everyone - from business analysts to IT developers - can read and execute.

You could say that BPMN is a kind of pictorial writing, similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs.

What is BPMN? Breaking Down the Acronym

BPMN = Business Process Model and Notation

Let's break down each component:

Business Process

A Business Process is a set of activities performed to achieve a specific business outcome - such as delivering an order, publishing a blog post, or hiring an employee. These processes exist across all organizational levels.

Process Model

A Process Model is a complete definition or representation of a Business Process. It describes all possible cases, from every starting point to every ending point (including exceptions and alternative paths).

As an example let's imagine a simplified meal ordering process. We have defined two disjoint cases - nonvegetarian and vegetarian.

By representing all cases, we create a model of the process.

Notation

Notation refers to the standardized symbols and graphical elements used to visually represent processes. BPMN 2.0 uses specific symbols (circles, rectangles, diamonds) to create diagrams that are universally understood.

In general, drawing a process involves specifying elements (nodes) and connecting them with arrows.

What else should I know?

Want to see more about models and modeling? Watch this short video: What's a Model? Why should I model?

Do you want to check your BPM/BPMN knowledge and achieve OMG certifications? Check the BPM 2 Certification program and BPM 2 Practise Exam Questions and Courses.

Key Takeaways

📌 BPMN = Business Process Model and Notation - International standard maintained by OMG. Latest version: 2.0.2.

📌 Business Process - Set of Activities to achieve a business outcome (recruiting, onboarding, marketing, finance, project management, etc.).

📌 Process Model - Complete representation of all possible scenarios, from start to end, including exceptions and alternative paths.

📌Notation - Standardized visual symbols (circles, rectangles, diamonds, arrows) everyone understands globally.

📌 Solves ambiguity problem - Natural language = unclear; custom notations = non-standard; BPMN = universal understanding.

📌 Common language for business & IT - Analysts design processes, developers implement them using the same diagrams. No translation gaps.

📌 Machine-executable - BPMN diagrams run directly on BPM platforms and RPA tools, not just documentation.

📌 Competitive advantage - Faster design cycles, better communication, easier automation, lower training costs, improved agility.

Where can I learn more about BPMN 2.0?

The most important resource is the official BPMN standard website https://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN where you can download the BPMN 2.0 Specification. This is your source of truth about BPMN.

It would be hard to learn BPMN by reading the specification alone, because it is not a document created to learn BPMN. Take the quiz below to test your knowledge!

✔❌ BPMN 2.0 Quiz (Level 1, Lesson 1) 📝

Take the BPMN 2.0 Lesson 1 Quiz

Source of the picture of Egyptian hieroglyphs: https://thebelladonnacomedy.com/woefully-misinterpreted-hieroglyphics-translated-by-the-women-of-ancient-egypt-fde82d44691