BPMN diagram examples, explained simply

BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is a standard set of shapes for process diagrams. The Object Management Group maintains it, and the current version is BPMN 2.0. Because the notation is standard, a BPMN file from one tool opens in many other tools.

Wavelength is a voice to diagram tool that turns a spoken process or a call transcript into an editable flowchart. You describe a process out loud, and Wavelength draws it. Then you can download it as a BPMN 2.0 file with lanes, events, tasks, and gateways. This page explains the main BPMN shapes and shows three worked examples.

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The BPMN shapes you need to know

The full BPMN 2.0 standard has more than 100 elements. Most business diagrams use about ten. Learn these first.

Shape	BPMN name	What it means
Thin circle	Start event	The thing that starts the process, such as "invoice received"
Thick circle	End event	The result when the process ends, such as "vendor paid"
Rounded rectangle	Task	One unit of work. A user task is done by a person. A service task is done by a system
Diamond with an X	Exclusive gateway	A decision. Only one path continues
Diamond with a plus	Parallel gateway	All paths continue at the same time
Solid arrow	Sequence flow	The order of the work
Large rectangle	Pool	One participant, such as your company or a customer
Band inside a pool	Lane	One role or team inside the participant
Dashed arrow	Message flow	A message between two pools
Cylinder	Data store	A database or system of record

Example 1: invoice approval

Pool: your company. Lanes: AP clerk, budget owner, ERP.

Start event: invoice received.
User task (AP clerk): match the invoice to the purchase order.
Exclusive gateway: does the purchase order match? If no, a user task sends the invoice back to the vendor, and the process ends.
Exclusive gateway: is the amount over the approval limit? If yes, a user task in the budget owner lane approves it.
Service task (ERP): schedule the payment.
End event: vendor paid.

See this process as a live flow in the invoice approval workflow example.

Example 2: customer onboarding

Pool: your company. Lanes: sales, customer success, product.

Start event: contract signed.
User task (sales): hand off the account notes to customer success.
User task (customer success): hold the kickoff call.
Service task (product): create the workspace and send the invites.
Exclusive gateway: did the customer finish setup in 14 days? If no, a user task schedules a help session.
End event: customer live.

The handoff from sales to customer success is a lane change. In BPMN, you see it as an arrow that crosses from one lane to the next. Those crossings are where most onboarding delays start. See the SaaS customer onboarding example.

Example 3: support ticket escalation

Pool: support. Lanes: tier 1 agent, tier 2 engineer, ticket system.

Start event: ticket created.
Service task (ticket system): set the priority from the customer plan.
User task (tier 1): try the known fixes.
Exclusive gateway: is it fixed? If yes, the process ends with "ticket solved."
User task (tier 2): find the root cause and fix it.
End event: ticket solved.

See the support ticket escalation example.

How to make a BPMN diagram without learning the notation first

Most people who need a BPMN file do not want to draw circles and diamonds by hand. They know the process. They need the file. Wavelength does the translation.

Describe the process. Hold the mic and talk it through, paste a meeting transcript, or upload a recording. Say who does each step: "the AP clerk matches the invoice."
Check the flow. Wavelength draws the steps, decisions, people, and systems. Fix any step by voice or by hand.
Download BPMN 2.0. Open the export menu and select BPMN 2.0 (.bpmn).

Here is how the Wavelength flow maps to BPMN in the export:

In Wavelength	In the BPMN file
Start node	Start event
End node	End event
Decision node	Exclusive gateway
System node	Service task
Step node	User task
People and teams (actor nodes)	Lanes. Each step goes into the lane of its owner, or of the nearest person before it
Arrows and their labels	Sequence flows with names

The file includes the diagram layout (BPMN DI), so the shapes appear in place when you open it. When a flow has two or more people or teams, the export uses a pool with lanes.

Where you can open the BPMN file

BPMN 2.0 XML is the exchange format for many process tools. Common choices are Camunda Modeler, bpmn.io, Signavio, Bizagi, and draw.io. Each tool supports a different part of the standard, so check the file in the tool you plan to use before you build on it.

Common BPMN mistakes

No end event. Every path must end. A path that stops in the middle confuses readers and breaks some engines.
Unlabeled gateway paths. Write "yes" and "no", or the condition, on each path out of a decision.
Tasks named with nouns. Name a task with a verb and an object: "approve invoice", not "approval."
Too much detail too early. Start with the main path. Add the error paths after the team agrees on the main path.
One giant diagram. If a diagram has more than about 30 tasks, split it into smaller processes.

What Wavelength does not do

Wavelength is not a BPMN modeler. It does not export parallel gateways, timer events, message flows between pools, or subprocesses. It does not run the process, and it does not check the file against the full standard. Use it to capture the process quickly and to get a clean starting file. If you need executable BPMN for an engine such as Camunda, finish the model in a tool that is made for that.

Swimlane process map: lanes for each role or team
Process map template: a free template you can open and edit
Value stream map template: steps with active and wait time
SIPOC diagram: template and worked example
Flow diagram examples: worked examples you can open and edit
Resources: all guides and templates

Common questions

What is a BPMN diagram?

A BPMN diagram is a process diagram drawn with the standard Business Process Model and Notation shapes: events, tasks, gateways, and lanes. The standard is maintained by the Object Management Group, and the current version is BPMN 2.0.

What is the difference between a flowchart and BPMN?

A flowchart uses simple shapes with no fixed rules. BPMN is a standard with defined shapes and an XML file format, so a BPMN diagram can move between tools and can feed a process engine.

Can I make a BPMN diagram for free?

Yes. Wavelength has a free plan with no card. Describe the process, then download the flow as a BPMN 2.0 file.

Which BPMN elements does the Wavelength export use?

Start and end events, user tasks, service tasks, exclusive gateways, sequence flows with names, and a pool with lanes when the flow has two or more people or teams.

Can I open the Wavelength BPMN file in Camunda or Signavio?

The export is standard BPMN 2.0 XML with diagram layout. Many tools read it, but each tool supports a different part of the standard. Open the file in your tool and check it before you build on it.

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