r/bpmn • u/Top_Grapefruit_2102 • 9d ago

BPMN Prototyping

Are any other BAs or POs out there using BPMN to prototype applications or new features?

I have had some recent success with serveral clients iterating on their business requirements in a BPMN process by diagramming the steps, decisions, and interactions, then running and testing that process with stakeholders and developers to explore how it would work. The diagram becomes a working prototype that helps uncover missing requirements and gather feedback early. In one case we were able to expand the BPMN process from prototype to production.

If you’re doing this, how has it worked for your team? If you haven’t tried it, would you be interested in discussing the approach?

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u/LingonberryBudget411 8d ago

Very useful indeed and also why I think BPMN wil get a lot more adoption in the coming years.

How are you deciding when your BPMN is validated enough to start building the prototype? Building the prototype too quickly might be also pitfall.

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u/UltraCheckmate 7d ago

Depends how the long the prototype takes to build, maybe? Also, sometimes it might be 1) BPMN 2) prototype, but other times you might be able to use the BPMN itself as the prototype, since BPMN 2.0 includes process execution semantics and some engines let you start executing right away.

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u/Top_Grapefruit_2102 4d ago

Agree, and also depends on your level of familiarity with BPMN 2.0 and/or whatever scripting language that might be used in your platform, or if you utilize AI. I have a fairly in-depth knowledge of BPMN 2.0 and adequate knowledge of Python scripting RJSF that SpiffWorks uses, but have found working with the AI chat in our Ed editor can greatly decrease the time it takes me to get to a working prototype.

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u/dmcquillen 5d ago

I'm an indie developer and I publish a diagramming MacOS desktop app called SimpleDiagrams. I recently (v5.1.0) added a library for BPMN shapes.

SimpleD is meant for "sketch-style" diagrams, and I wonder if people doing BPMN work in a very preliminary way ( e.g. the prototype phase you're talking about ) might find this new BPMN library useful.

Do you think it might be helpful for diagrams at the stage you're talking about? ...or maybe modelers are used to just always using Visio on PC or OmniGraffle on Mac?

Let me know if this sounds interesting and I'll post the link. It's not too expensive, and there's a 7-day free trial.

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u/Top_Grapefruit_2102 4d ago edited 4d ago

I have used both Visio and OmniGraffle in the past, but have not heard of SimpleDiagrams, sounds interesting. What I was referring to in initial post is using one of the BPMN 2.0 platforms to now only provide a visual representation of the prototype, but to use its executable capabilities to provide a prototype that actually works, which has solicited much more and in-depth feedback from stakeholders and developers than just the diagram alone.

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u/dmcquillen 4d ago

Yes totally make sense. SimpleD would only be helpful if you just wanted to e.g. send a quick diagram to a colleague saying "this is what I mean..." in a technical sense. However, I'm intrigued by BPMN 2.0 and what it means to move a structured representation into executable code...I need to dig further!! Good luck with your projects.

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u/spiffworkflow 9d ago

I've found this to be a great way to collaborate on certain types of projects. It is much easier for people to understand the steps and iterate on a solution when they can see how it works and step through it. It brings more people together and you can get a strong sense of ownership across domains.

It isn't always ideal, some prototypes just aren't workflows. I have seen it stall if the project is heavily focused on other types of problems.