Introduction

In the previous article in the Fundamentals of Processing Mapping series, I introduced the concept and use of swimlanes in process mapping. In this article, I want to expand on how the swimlanes are connected by introducing messages.

Message Connectors

The usual connector or flow arrow we've seen so far has been the sequence connector. It's usually a straight, unbroken line with an arrowhead at one end. It implies that one process or process step follows another. In the diagram below, all of the horizontal flows are sequence connectors indicating a sequential series of process steps.

Now that we're showing different roles in the swimlanes, the message connector becomes more useful. Some interactions between processes are more about passing information than one step following another. This is particularly the case when the flow passes from one role to another.

The message connector is usually a broken line with an arrow at the end. It indicates that a message is being passed from one process step to another, but that the primary flow control is still with the process step that sent the message.

In this example, I've used the document icon for indicating that a document is being passed between the roles. There are other icons, e.g. database icons that can be used. The trick is to figure out the best combination of icons and simplicity in order to get the message across without being too complex to be understood by the readers.

Sequence or message?

Here's the best advice I can give on the subject: if in doubt, use the sequence flow.

Many basic process modelling standards don't (or at least didn't) differentiate between the two types of connector. The messaging connector is useful but not necessary. If you're using the analysis tool of a BPM suite, then you're going to have to follow the standards more closely, but the vast majority of analysis does not end up anywhere near a Business Process Management Suite.

Part of a series on the Fundamentals of Process Mapping