Intelligent Visio Shapes

Graphic oriented light weight tools contain mostly extensive libraries of shapes (symbols) for modeling. These shapes can be connected with borders, and be moved  while still linked.

The shapes in the BPM-X Designer can do more, they are "smart". Thus, for instance, a shape naturally knows with which other shapes it can be connected. Thus, events can be connected in an event-steered process chain (EPC) with functions, but not two events with each other. This guarantees methodically correct modeling.

Diagrams in the BPM-X Designer are no simple drawings. Every diagram has a certain type, such as EPC, organization charts or value added chains diagram. The diagram type sets which symbols and borders can be used, and which symbol can be refined by which diagram type. Thus, for instance, a value added chain function can be detailed by a process model.

In addition, shapes can contain qualities (attributes). In contrast, Visio fixes the attributes the shapes can have for every symbol. Thus, processing time and working times can be defined for functions, in terms of resources, capacity and availability.

Another example of the "intelligence" of the shapes in the BPM-X Designer: The connections between two symbols are not just simple lines. They can carry meaning. Thus, a border between a position and a function can mean that the holder of the position carries out the function, that he is responsible for the function, or that he must be informed about the result. This can be expressed in the BPM-X Designer by different border types.

The intelligent behavior of the shapes is defined by a method description. In addition to the provided methods for process modeling, custom methods can also be defined with the help of the Method Builder, or available methods changed.

Despite these comprehensive functionalities, which, up to now, were known to be in only expensive, extensive modeling suites, the BPM-X Designer is as easy to use as Visio.