We can simplify BPMN Diagrams with intermediate multiple events. These events are combinations of different intermediate events, much like complex gateways combine different gateways.
Background
We presented an introduction to BPMN diagrams in July. Business analysts are often required to document as-is processes and to-be processes. These diagrams help identify the scope of a software project. The diagrams can also help uncover requirements that might be overlooked without diagramming the processes.
The BPMN specification is designed to establish a common language and convention for creating process diagrams. This common convention allows people who are familiar with modeling, but new to a project to avoid learning a new diagramming language on each project or for each client. We have a link to the official version of the spec in our introductory post (we will update that link if and when the spec changes).
Intermediate events are one of the more unfamiliar items in the BPMN language. They also allow for some of the cleanest, unambiguous expressions of steps in business processes.
Multiple Different Intermediate Events
In our previous example of the business process model for a day trader, we had two different intermediate events that could create exception flow from the second “Watch Stock” task. An intermediate rule event was used to prevent excessive losses or lock in a target gain on the stock transaction. An intermediate timer event was used to force the day trader to sell the stock at the end of the day, if he had not already done so.
Simpify With An Intermediate Multiple Event
We can combine the two intermediate events from the previous diagram (the rule intermediate event and the timer intermediate event) into a single multiple intermediate event.
In this bpmn example, we’ve also added the possibility of receiving a message from the boss requesting that we sell the stock. We have replaced three intermediate events (rule, timer, and message) with a single intermediate event (multiple).
Summary
The multiple intermediate event can be used to consolidate more than one intermediate events into a single entity in the diagram.
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