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BPMN Overview

The BPMN surface in QuantumBPM is a BPMN 2.0 process engine with a visual modeler, a running-instance view, and a poll-based external-worker API. It runs alongside the DMN engine in the same product and shares projects, identity, and audit history with it.

What's supported​

Modeling​

A full BPMN 2.0 modeler with canvas, palette, context pad, and a properties panel. Supported flow elements:

  • Events — start, end, intermediate (catch and throw), and boundary, with none, message, signal, timer, link, error, escalation, compensation, conditional, and terminate definitions. Boundary events come in interrupting and non-interrupting variants.
  • Tasks — service, user, script (FEEL), business-rule (calls a DMN decision), send, receive, manual, generic.
  • Gateways — exclusive, parallel, inclusive, event-based.
  • Structure — embedded sub-processes, event sub-processes (interrupting and non-interrupting), ad-hoc sub-processes, call activities, and multi-instance / standard loops.
  • Advanced behaviour — compensation handlers, escalation that traverses scope hierarchies, error boundaries, and ad-hoc node triggering.

The full element catalog with attributes, behaviours, and validation rules is documented under Elements.

Execution​

Processes run as deterministic workflows backed by a durable execution substrate. Every event is recorded so an instance can be inspected at any point — and replayed step-by-step in the UI through the replay slider.

Operating live instances​

  • Resolve incidents in the instance detail UI.
  • Send messages or signals to correlated instances from the UI.
  • Modify token state (insert tokens, cancel tokens) — exposed via API today; UI is on the roadmap.
  • Migrate running instances to a new process version with an explicit migration plan — exposed via API today; UI is on the roadmap.

Integration​

  • External worker queue — poll-based HTTP API for service-task workers in any language (Camunda-style).
  • REST API — every operation above is exposed via the OpenAPI surface.
  • quantum: extensions — the modeler attaches runtime metadata (task definition, I/O mappings, headers, assignment, form, called element, called decision) inside <extensionElements> while staying inside standard BPMN validity.

Where to go next​