BPMN Method and Style: A levels-based methodology for BPM process modeling and improvement using BPMN 2.0 (Paperback)

~ Bruce Silver (Author)

Editorial Reviews

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The first book on BPMN I can enthusiastically recommend! --Paul Harmon, Editor, BPTrends

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Bruce's thought leadership can help us think through the common language that brings IT and Business together ...

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Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Cody-Cassidy Press (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982368100
• ISBN-13: 978-0982368107
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,267 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making a mold hill out of the BPMN 2.0 mountain, October 19, 2009

By	S. Paakki (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I recently faced the task of analysing the notational differences between the BPMN 1.0 and 2.0 specifications, along with creating selection criteria for the use of either. Bruce Silver made this readily possible with his concise and well thought out guide to "BPMN Method and Style".

There is a dearth of practical information and academic research on the 2.0 spec at this point in time, compared with the mountainous 500+ page proposed specification. This book delivers a prescriptive approach to the reader detailing how hierarchical models can be created by domain experts, then be expanded upon by a business process analyst and finally enhanced by a workflow developer for potential execution.

In the author's own words, to try and learn BPMN by reading the specification is akin to trying to learn how to write a story by reading a dictionary. The method for starting with a blank page and modelling the "Happy Path", adding exception flows for semantic correctness, and finally creating an executable model in BPMN 2.0 is given with a well structured approach. Where the spec lacks detail or contains ambiguities with how certain notational elements might, or should, be applied; this book steers the reader with advice on developing a consistent style, which could be adopted into one's own modelling conventions.

If you are searching for guidance from the trenches giving detailed advice and concrete examples, from simple to advanced BPMN notational elements and constructs, then this is the first book you should add to your library.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and Immediately Useful, June 23, 2009

By	Daniel L. Atwood "Dan Atwood" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bruce Silver's new book is a practical and useful guide that has been missing and much needed by the process modeling community. You can easily get started using BPMN using 3 basic activities. From an executive, manager or business person's perspective, these 3 activities might be enough, but too often I hear a business analyst or IT person tell me that BPMN does not support some modeling construct. It's usually because they've tried going beyond the 3 basic activities and have been unsuccessful learning BPMN using the OMG specification (it's a bit like trying to learn how to speak English using a dictionary). This book addresses one of the challenges we all have with BPMN and process modeling in the beginning - that is how to combine the robust set of activities to form the processes that describe my business. Every business analyst and IT person modeling business processes using BPMN should be familar with this book.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable guide to using BPMN, July 26, 2009

By	Aron Wilson (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would say that anyone who is or will be using BPMN should own this book. Just as Strunk & White's guide for writing became the standard reference, I expect this book to become required reading for those wishing to create effective business process diagrams.
Bruce Silver provides practical guidance for creating usable BPMN diagrams that enable shared understanding between business and technical users. He effectively translates the BPMN spec and workflow pattern theory into clear examples and guidelines. This book is an excellent reference for how to use BPMN consistently, thus ensuring a high return on the time invested in creating process diagrams.