Assigning Organizational Units and Resources

Assign activities, lanes or processes of a BPMN process or participants of a collaboration to organizational units or other resources using drag-and-drop or in the Properties tool window. Assignment expresses that the organizational unit is responsible or a resource is necessary.

Modeling Responsibilities and Uses

You can define organizational structures in the org chart; these can then be linked with resources in resource diagrams.

You can link lanes (swimlanes), processes or participants with organizational units and resources in BPMN process activities (tasks, call activities, global tasks and subprocesses) to show the states of the organizational units modeled for process steps or the use of resources in process steps.

You can assign the following element types:

  • Organizational Unit

    • Group

    • Executive Position

    • Administrative Position

    • Managerial Position

    • Assistant Position

  • Role

  • Person

    • Employee

  • IT Element

    • Application System

    • Application

  • Business Resource

You can assign existing organizational units and other resources or create these during assignment. Newly-created resources are assigned to an owner and given an initial default name.

As with executed organizational units and other resources, it is also possible to assign concepts, actors and components as resources in a BPMN process, e.g. from a use case diagram.

You can assign resources to the following:

  • Task
  • Call Activity
  • Lane (swimlane)
  • Subprocess
  • Process
  • Participant (Partner Entity and Partner Role properties)
  • Data Object
  • Event
  • Gateway

Assignment of a resource has the following types:

  • Not specified (Unspecified)
  • Those responsible for execution (Responsible)
  • Accountable for costs (Accountable)
  • Consultant responsibility (Consulted)
  • Right to information (Informed)
  • Participation (Supportive)

The specific typing is based on RACI technology for analyzing and displaying responsibilities and is primarily based on roles and organizational units. You can use it to describe which roles or organizational units are responsible for or involved with which activities.

Set the typing in the Properties tool window.

Special Features of Resource Assignment

The following specifics apply for assignment:

  • You can assign multiple resources to each activity (task, subprocess), lane (swimlane) and process in a BPMN diagram. This shows that resources are needed or which state the role or organizational unit have for the BPMN element. Each resource is assigned to the Resource Assignment property. This assignment is shown as a node for activities in the diagram. The name of the resource can be shown in the header for the lane.
  • You can assign multiple resources for each participant in a BPMN diagram. This shows which role or organizational unit the participant represents. The resource is assigned to the Partner Role or Partner Entity property. Innovator bears the resource's character in mind and tries to drop an assignment either as a Partner Role or Partner Entity property. The icon and name of the assigned element are shown in the participant's header.

  • The following applies for resource nodes of activities (tasks, subprocesses):

    • If they are not positioned by default, then they are linked with the task or subprocess via an edge

    • They can overlap with other nodes and are displayed in the background by default; however, it is possible to move them to the forefront if required.

    • They can be outside of the process

Prerequisites

The respective link element (activity resource, global task resource, lane resource, process resource) needs to be permitted as an assigned element for the BMPM element (activity, global task, lane, subprocess, process) in the configuration.

Set the resources which can be referenced at the link element.

Assigning in the Diagram via Drag-and-Drop

How to proceed

  1. Select the organizational unit or resource you want to assign in the gallery or in the Model Content, Details or Result Region tool windows.

  2. Drag the organizational unit or resource and drop it on the diagram element you want to assign it to (task, call activity, global task, lane, subprocess, process or participant).

    If the drop target is a task, call activity, global task, lane, embedded subprocess or process, then the organizational unit or resource is assigned to the Resource Assignment property.

    If the drop target is a participant, then the organizational unit or resource is assigned to the Partner Role or Partner Entity property.

Assigning by Editing Element Properties

Context

Resources can be assigned to activities, lanes and processes in a uniform manner.

Link elements are activity resources, global task resources, lane resources or process resources accordingly. You can set both an assignment type and a cost center for the link element.

Links to resources can be shown as edges in the whiteboard diagram; these can then be created with the appropriate configuration.

If resource assignment for a task was modified in the Properties tool window, then the suitable stereotype of an activity resource is determined for each assigned resource and an activity resource is then created with this stereotype and default values.

If this stereotype has a create template with execution rights, then the create template is used for creating the activity resources. Specifications for assignment type and activity resource type can be contained in the create template; these can then be adopted upon creation.

Resource assignment happens in the same way for lanes and processes.

How to proceed

  1. Select the diagram element you want to assign an organizational unit or a resource to.

  2. Click in the Properties window on Select Element

    1. For an activity, a lane or process for the Resource Assignment property or
    2. For a participant with the Partner Role or Partner Entity. property

    A dialog with a list of the assigned resources appears.

  3. Click on Add....

    A dialog for resource selection appears.

  4. Select one or more resources or create new ones.

  5. Confirm your selection with OK.

    The selected resources are added to the list of assigned resources.

  6. Confirm the list with OK.

    The number of resources assigned is shown for the property.

Context

The specific typing is based on RACI technology for analyzing and displaying responsibilities and is primarily based on roles and organizational units. You can use it to describe which roles or organizational units are responsible for or involved with which activities.

How to proceed

  1. Select the diagram element you have assigned an organizational unit or a resource to.

  2. Select the resource assignment of the type you want to change in the Details tool window.

    The Assignment Type property appears in the Properties tool window.

  3. Click on for the Assignment Type property in the Properties window and select the RACI type of assignment.

  4. Confirm your type assignment with the [Enter] key.

How to proceed

  1. Select the element with the resources assignments you want to completely delete.

  2. Click on Clear Value in the Properties window.

    1. For an activity, a lane or process for the Resource Assignment property or
    2. For a participant with the Partner Role or Partner Entity property

    and confirm the security question with Yes or cancel with No.

    Resources assignments for the selected element are deleted.

How to proceed

  1. Select the element with the resources assignments you want to delete.

  2. Click in the Properties window on Select Element

    1. For an activity, a lane or process for the Resource Assignment property or
    2. For a participant with the Partner Role or Partner Entity property

    A dialog of the assigned resources appears.

  3. Select the resources whose assignment you want to change.

  4. Click on Remove.

    The selected resources are removed from the list.

  5. Confirm you want to remove these resources with OK.

    The selected resources assignments for the element are deleted.

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