How do I draw a process?

►	Right mouse click a process step in the diagram pane. Pop-up menu will appear. Select Insert and then select the type of a process step you want to insert.

►	Right mouse click on one of the process steps. A pop-up menu will appear. Select Delete.

►	Select the step and press the <Del> key.

	Process Step	Description
	Manual	A manually executed activity.
	Telephone	A manual activity in which a telephone is used.
	Computer	An activity that requires the combination of human input and the use of a computer.
	Internet	An activity that requires the combination of human input and the use of Internet.
	Automatic	A fully automated activity.
	Decision	A role dependent activity that results in a choice. A specific case will continue in one of many directions. The case can only follow one path.
	Meeting	A meeting in which multiple people from the same role or from different roles participate.
	Teamwork	A task in which multiple people from the same role or from different roles participate.
	Other	Any other activity.

The following non-activity standard process step types are available:

 

The following navigations / process steps define the way the process flows or have an effect on the process flow:

Only Entry point, Parallel entry point, Choice and Parallel steps types can be directly inserted by a user. The other step types are automatically created by the tool when necessary.

How do I create another Start (Entry Point) to my process?

By default, each process has one entry point that is its start but you can create another

By default, each process has one entry point that is its start. You can create another entry point to a process by selecting a process step and pressing the Start button in the Insert steps group of the Home tab.

 

An  new start step appears at the left bottom corner of the process diagram and is pointing to the selected step.

In this way, you create a multi-entrant process that can start from different process steps. The set of properties of each of the start steps is automatically extended with the Frequencies property that specify the relative frequencies of selecting particular entry point. This Frequencies property is common for all starts.

You can insert some steps between an entry point step and its destination by selecting the entry point step and pressing one of the button in the Insert steps group.

The entry point step is converted into an entry point branch. It starts with the entry point and ends with the automatically added Go to step. This Go to step cannot be deleted but it can be redirected to another step if necessary. You can delete the whole entry point branch just by deleting its first entry point step.

 

The step pointed by the entry point or entry point branch cannot be deleted anymore. If you deleted the Computer step in the example above the process diagram would fall apart into two disjoint branches thus it would be not a diagram of one process anymore. In order to delete the Computer step you have first either to redirect the end of the entry point branch to another step (e.g., Manual) or to delete this entry point branch at all.

 

You can create an entry point to a step in another entry point branch

Now, you cannot delete the Telephone step but neither you can delete the whole entry point branch containing Telephone.

You cannot insert an entry point inside a subprocess (phase, service) diagram. However, you can expand this subprocess on the top level diagram and create an entry point to one of steps in the expanded subprocess. Then you can collapse the subprocess again. Notice that there is a small Go to icon on top of the Telephone step inside the Subprocess diagram. It is used to mark the fact that there is an external reference to this step.

 

 

You can never create an entry point to a step inside a parallel branch.

You cannot create an entry point if a process already has parallel start branches.

How do I make parallel start branches?

 By default each process starts as one thread only. Using Parallel steps you can split this thread into many sub-threads. You can also specify that a start of execution of a process initiates two or more parallel threads.  We only require that these threads eventually join somewhere in the process.

To create another starting thread of a process select a process step where the new parallel thread should join with the rest of the process and press the Parallel start button in the Insert steps group of the Home tab.

 

 

An empty parallel entry branch is drawn below the main process. The Go to join step that appears at the end of this branch cannot be deleted. It points to a Join step that was automatically inserted in front of the selected step. The Start icon of the parallel branch as well as the original main branch is now decorated with a small Parallel icon. This is done to distinguish the parallel starts from the alternative entry points.

 

You cannot delete a Join step pointed by a parallel entry branch. It will be automatically removed when you delete the parallel entry branch itself.

You can create a parallel start branch joining with another parallel start branch:

 

The parallel start branches are drawn one below the other in the order of their creation.

You can create a parallel start inside neither a subprocess (phase, service) diagram nor in an expanded subprocess (phase, service).

You cannot create a parallel start if a process already has entry points.

You can only join a parallel start branch to a process step that is always executed independently of the decisions made in the preceding choices. This is to assure that the parallel threads will always join.

In the example above, you can join a parallel start branch in front of the Manual task but you cannot do this in front of the Computer one because the main thread can stop before it reaches the Computer step.

How do I draw a Join?

Select a Sink step. Drag it to the process step in front of which you want to join the sink branch.

 

 

The Sink step will change into a Go to join step pointing to a Join step that was automatically inserted in front of the destination step. Notice that this Go to join step has a small Join icon on top to distinguish it from the non parallel Go to.

 

This Go to join step behaves differently than the Go to step (see Creating Go To). In particular, it can be a destination of a Go to. When it is deleted it is converted back to a Sink step and the referred Join is also deleted (if it does not have any other references). The Join step cannot be moved. It can only be deleted which results also in conversion of the Go to join step back to a Sink step. You can also redirect this Go to join. It will result in deletion of the Join step in the old place and creation of another Join step in the new place.

 

If you drop a Sink or Go to join onto and existing Join no new Join step is created. Instead, an additional connection to this Join step is added. The number of incoming arrows to a Join step represents the number of parallel threads that have to join there. So, you cannot redirect a normal Go to to the Join step.

 

No parallel thread can stop before it reaches the Join or Sink step. So, if you insert a Choice in a parallel branch between a Parallel and Join steps then this choice's branch cannot finish with a Stop, neither can it point to the Join. So, initially a Choice inserted in the parallel branch between Parallel and Join points to itself. Later you can redirect it to the proper destination within this branch.

 

 

You cannot drop a Sink step in a place that will result in an cause-effect loop in the process. Engage Process Modeler will show you the corresponding message. In the following example, there is an attempt to join the sink branch with its own Parallel. This is not possible because this means that you want to enter Parallel step only after its parallel branch is finished. So, actually you want the effect to precede the cause and this is not allowed.

 

 

You can only join a process step that is always executed in the other parallel thread, thus independently of the decisions made in the preceding choices. In the following example

You can join the Sink step with any of the Choice steps but you cannot join it with any of the Manual steps because they are executed conditionally and this means that the joint thread could be finished without reaching the Manual step.

For the similar reasons a Choice inserted into a parallel branch (see step 8) will have its lower branch automatically connected to the corresponding Sink. So, you cannot convert the Go to 10 step into Stop in the example above because this would mean that the parallel thread can break before reaching its end.

How do I delete a subtree?

To delete a subtree right mouse click the first step (the root) of the subtree, then click the small triangle behind the  button in the Actions group of the Home tab and select Delete subtree.

You can delete a subtree starting neither from Stop, Exit, Join nor Sink steps.

You cannot delete a subtree that starts inside an expanded subprocess, phase or service and that contains the main End of expanded subprocess (phase, service) step of this subprocess (phase, service). The main End of expanded step is the only one that has followers.

You cannot delete a subtree that contains a step that is a destination of an entry point step or an entry point branch (you must first remove the entry point or redirect it).

Alternatives :

How do I create a Go To step?

Create a Go To be dragging: 

Slect a Stop or Exit. Then, drag it to the process step to which you want to make the connection.

 

The Stop or Exit will change into a Go to step. If the connection is not visible, check the Connections box in the Show/hide group in the Layout tab.

 

Once a Go to step is created you can redirect it by dragging and dropping it onto another destination.

 

You cannot create a Go to to a Start, Stop, Sink, Join, Entry, Exit, End of expanded subprocess (phase, service).

 

You cannot drop a Stop, Exit or Go to step in a place that will result in an infinite loop in the process. Engage Process Modeler will show you the corresponding message.

 

Create a Go To from Insert Menu:

To  create a Go to step by specifying its destination select a Stop, Sink or Exit step and press the Go to button in the Insert group of the Home tab in the ribbon.

You can also select the existing Go to step if you want to change its destination. You will be warned if the currently selected step is of the wrong type. The following dialog appears:

 

 

The list of process steps that is shown contains all possible destinations. Since you cannot jump into a parallel branch the steps from such branches will be excluded. But, you can jump into a subprocess, so all steps from all lower level subprocesses will be included. However, this list will be totally different if you select a step ending a parallel branch. Now, you can jump inside another parallel branch but you cannot jump into a subprocess or in a choice's branch.

You can also start typing the name of the require destination in the search box above the process step list. The list will be automatically filtered while you type.

Select the required destination and press OK. The originally selected step will be converted to the Go to step with the selected destination.

Alternatives :