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
Thin / double / thick rings. An empty End Event ends a path; other paths may remain active.
Activities
Task: atomic work. Sub-Process: inner flow. Call Activity: reusable definition.
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.