BPMN is a powerful visual language for modeling business processes — but like any tool, it’s easy to misuse. In our experience using Flowable, we’ve seen recurring mistakes that lead to broken logic, unreadable diagrams, and process errors in production.
Here are the most common BPMN pitfalls and how you can avoid them like a pro. 👇
❌ 1. Overusing Script Tasks for Everything
📉 The Mistake: Using script tasks for business logic, data manipulation, and API calls.
🛠️ Fix:
Use Script Tasks only for simple inline logic. Move all complex behavior to Service Tasks with delegate classes or external services.
❌ 2. Messy Diagrams with No Structure
📉 The Mistake: Diagrams that are too wide, too long, or have criss-crossing arrows.
🛠️ Fix:
Use sub-processes, lanes, and consistent flow direction (left to right or top to bottom). Make your models clean and business-readable.
❌ 3. Using Gateways for Complex Decisions
📉 The Mistake: Writing complex conditions directly in gateways.
🛠️ Fix:
Evaluate decisions in a DMN table or a Service Task, then use a gateway only to route based on the result (e.g., risk = high/low).
❌ 4. Missing Default Paths in Gateways
📉 The Mistake: Not setting a default path in exclusive or inclusive gateways.
🛠️ Fix:
Always define a default flow to avoid errors when no conditions match.
❌ 5. Not Handling Errors Properly
📉 The Mistake: No error boundary events → failed tasks crash the process.
🛠️ Fix:
Use error boundary events on Service Tasks. Create fallback logic, notifications, or retries. BPMN should never assume perfection.
❌ 6. Ignoring Asynchronous Behavior
📉 The Mistake: All tasks are synchronous, leading to long process blocking.
🛠️ Fix:
Use flowable:async="true" on heavy or external service tasks. This improves scalability and responsiveness.
❌ 7. Forgetting to Name Tasks and Flows
📉 The Mistake: Generic names like “Task1”, “Gateway2”, or missing labels.
🛠️ Fix:
Use meaningful, action-based names: “Send Approval Email”, “Check Risk Level”, “Route to HR”.
🔎 It helps both developers and business users understand the model at a glance.
❌ 8. No Versioning or Change Control
📉 The Mistake: Modifying live processes without tracking changes.
🛠️ Fix:
Version your processes (v1, v2…), test in staging, and use Flowable’s deployment capabilities wisely.
❌ 9. Too Many Parallel Paths Without Sync
📉 The Mistake: Splitting into parallel tasks but forgetting to merge them later.
🛠️ Fix:
Always close parallel flows with a Parallel Gateway Join or sub-process to avoid processes hanging indefinitely.
✅ Final Advice:
Model with intention.
BPMN is not just for developers — it’s a shared language between business and tech. Every task, event, and flow should tell a clear story.
💬 Have you seen any of these BPMN mistakes? Share your war stories and what you've learned — let's help each other improve!
#BPMN #Flowable #ProcessAutomation #WorkflowDesign #LowCode #DigitalTransformation #AKITIInstitute #AutomationTips #BusinessProcessManagement
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