BPMN 2.0 cheat sheet
+Common events, activities, gateways, flows, pools and lanes for reading process and collaboration diagrams.
+ Read it → +
+
+
+ BPMN 2.0 cheat sheet
+Recognise the common symbols in a process or collaboration diagram: events, activities, gateways, flows, pools and lanes.
+ +Landscape, 297 × 167 mm. Free to read and download, with no sign-up.
+Read the symbols
+The reference uses OMG BPMN 2.0.2. Symbols appear beside their names and explanations; meaning does not depend on colour.
+
+
+ Events
Start Event
Intermediate Event
End Event
Message: catch
Message: throw
Timer: catch
Thin / double / thick rings. An empty End Event ends a path; other paths may remain active.
Activities
Task
Sub-Process: collapsed
Call Activity
Task: atomic work. Sub-Process: inner flow. Call Activity: reusable definition.
Standard loop
Parallel
multi-instance
multi-instance
Sequential
multi-instance
multi-instance
Gateways
Exclusive (XOR)
Split: one path. Merge: no synchronisation.
Inclusive (OR)
Split: one or more. Join: active branches.
Parallel (AND)
Split: all paths. Join: every incoming flow.
Event-Based
First configured trigger wins; not a data test.
An unmarked diamond can also mean Exclusive.
Flows
Sequence Flow
Work order within a process.
Message Flow
Communication between pools.
Association
Information link; not control flow.
Conditional Sequence Flow
Diamond: follow when condition is true.
Default Sequence Flow
Slash: fallback if other conditions fail.
Pools and lanes
Pool: participant, possibly a black box.
Lane: grouping within a process.
Sequence flows may cross lanes, never pools. Messages connect different pools.
Boundary events
Interrupting
Cancels the attached activity.
Non-interrupting
Attached activity continues.
Attached to an activity. Solid rings interrupt; dashed rings do not. Timer examples shown.
Read the flow before the detail
+Identify the participants, follow sequence arrows within each pool, then read the gateway markers and event triggers. A message flow describes communication, not a transfer of process control.
+The event examples distinguish start, intermediate and end positions, then catching and throwing messages and a catching timer. An empty End Event completes that path; it does not cancel other active paths. The boundary examples use timers attached to activities.
+The Event-Based Gateway shown is the ordinary exclusive variant: the first configured event to occur determines the path. Its successors are supported catching intermediate events or Receive Tasks, subject to the specification's restrictions. Instantiating variants are outside this sheet.
+This is a selection for reading diagrams, not a complete catalogue of BPMN events, activity types or gateways, and not an execution or conformance guide.
+Source and scope
+OMG Business Process Model and Notation, version 2.0.2, formal/2013-12-09. The normative specification defines the symbols and their detailed connection and execution rules.
+Relevant clauses: 7.3 (notation overview), 7.6 (connections), 9.3-9.4 (participants and messages), 10.3 (activities and loop characteristics), 10.5 (events), 10.6 (gateways) and 10.8 (lanes). The multi-instance markers follow 10.3.8 and Figures 10.48-10.49: vertical for parallel, horizontal for sequential.
+Independent Transitrix reading guide. Diagrams are redrawn and explanations paraphrased from the specification. Source checked 21 October 2026.
+