What is BPMN and how to use it in business

What is BPMN and how to use it in business: the experience of an ERP/CRM solution developer

Modern business requires well-structured and understandable processes. One of the most popular tools for describing, modeling and optimizing business processes is BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation). In this article, we'll explain what BPMN is, why it has become the de facto industry standard, and how to put it into practice. We will also share the experience of our company developing ERP/CRM solutions in Uzbekistan and on the global market.

1. What is BPMN?

BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is a standard for graphical representation of business processes designed so that all project participants (from top managers to IT specialists) can equally understand the structure and logic of the ongoing processes. Developed by Object Management Group (OMG), BPMN provides a unified modeling language that allows you to visually display:

1. Sequence of actions
   Who does what, in what order and under what conditions.
2. Participants' interaction
   How units, systems, or external partners share information.
3. Conditions and branches
   Transitions between process stages, operating conditions and alternative scenarios.
4. Exceptional situations
   How the system or participants respond to errors, failures, or unforeseen circumstances.

2. Why BPMN became a standard

1. Versatility
   BPMN is suitable for all industries: manufacturing, logistics, finance, retail, public sector. This means that once you've learned notation, you can simulate almost any process.
2. Ease of perception
   BPMN diagrams are understandable not only for technical specialists, but also for managers, business analysts and other stakeholders, which facilitates communication and prevents “loss in translation”.
3. Software support
   There is a wide range of tools and systems for creating and editing BPMN diagrams (Camunda, Bizagi, Signavio, etc.), as well as integrating with ERP/CRM solutions.
4. De facto standard
   Many leading IT platforms and consulting agencies use BPMN as a basis for describing business processes and regulations.

3. The main elements of BPMN To understand how BPMN works, it is enough to master a few basic concepts:

1. Pools and streams
   • Pool represents an organization or a large functional area.
   • Stream (Lane) within a pool, it is used to divide responsibilities between departments or specific roles.
2. Events
   Indicate where the process starts, continues, or ends (e.g. message receipt, time, error).
3. Activities
   They determine the specific tasks and work performed as part of the process.
4. Gateways
   They allow you to model branching and process synchronization (for example, if/then logical conditions, parallel execution).
5. Messages
   They determine the exchange of information between process participants and external systems.

4. How to use BPMN in practice

1. Analysis of existing processes
   First, you need to “draw” current business processes. This allows you to see bottlenecks and understand where delays or duplication of actions occur.
2. Optimization and approval
   Based on primary diagrams, we can suggest improvements: remove unnecessary steps, automate some operations, and redistribute resources. All participants look at the same chart and work out solutions together.
3. Implementation in ERP/CRM
   The created BPMN diagrams can be used to customize business logic in ERP/CRM systems. For example, each step of the “Customer Inquiry — Sales — Shipment” process is configured as a sequence of actions and conditions.
4. Monitoring and development
   After implementation, it is necessary to regularly review processes, taking into account changes in the market, within the organization and in technologies. BPMN diagrams are easy to adapt while maintaining visibility and integrity.

5. Our company's experience in BPMN Our company, which develops ERP/CRM solutions in Uzbekistan and for international markets, actively uses BPMN when implementing projects of various sizes:

• Manufacturing sector: modeling of production lines, optimization of supply chains, integration with inventory control systems.
• Financial organizations: description of credit processes, approval of transactions, automation of reporting and integration with banking systems.
• Retail and e-commerce: building order, payment, logistics, and returns processes to ensure transparency for all participants and quick order processing.
• State institutions and large corporations: regulation of internal processes, approval of documents, control over the execution of instructions.

Why BPMN is important when implementing ERP/CRM

1. Transparency and common language
   Top managers, IT specialists, business analysts and end users “speak” the same language of diagrams.
2. Risk mitigation
   Clearly described processes reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings, integration errors and the need for rework at a later stage.
3. Accelerating ROI
   Thanks to the optimization and automation of individual process blocks, the company gets more quickly from the implemented ERP/CRM system.

6. Tools for working with BPMN There are many software tools, from free open source solutions to enterprise systems:

1. Camunda
   A well-known BPM (Business Process Management) platform with the ability to automate processes and deep customization.
2. Bizagi
   A simple and functional BPM tool suitable for rapid prototypes and full modeling.
3. Signavio
   It is popular in large corporations due to its powerful analytics and collaboration functionality.
4. Draw.io/diagrams.net
   A free solution that is convenient for basic modeling and small projects.

7. Recommendations for implementing BPMN in business

1. Start with “quick wins”
   Select one or two key processes that need to be improved, describe them in BPMN, optimize them and integrate them into ERP/CRM.
2. Train employees
   Organize workshops or courses so that stakeholders understand BPMN symbols and principles.
3. Use specialized tools
   High-quality BPM platforms facilitate collaboration, version control, and integration with existing systems.
4. Maintain and update
   Business processes change with the market and technological progress, so BPMN charts need to be reviewed and adjusted regularly.

ConclusionBPMN — a powerful tool for visualizing, analyzing and optimizing business processes. It helps the company see the full picture of interactions between departments, systems and customers, as well as quickly make changes and improvements. At the same time, BPMN is particularly useful in conjunction with ERP/CRM systems, where each process can be automated in detail. Our company, as a developer of ERP/CRM solutions for Uzbekistan and the global market, successfully uses BPMN for projects in various industries. If you want to increase the efficiency and transparency of your processes or are preparing to implement ERP/CRM, please contact our experts. We will help you conduct an audit, create an optimal architecture and integrate solutions that will make your business more competitive.