A BPMN diagram can display subprocesses with different symbol properties. They are as follows:

  • An expanded SubProcess can contain inner shapes.
  • A collapsed SubProcess cannot display inner shapes. A plus sign (+) marker will be displayed for a collapsed subprocess.

If the Is Triggered By Event property of a SubProcess is set to true, it will call an Event SubProcess and will be drawn with a dashed border.

There are two specific types of SubProcesses:

  • Transaction SubProcess. It is represented with double borders.
  • AdHoc SubProcess. It is represented with an AdHoc marker on its shape.


To create a SubProcess

Business Analyst perspective provide most popular SubProcess types. Full list of SubProcesses types you can have only in Business Modeler and Full Featured perspectives.

  1. Open a BPMN Process diagram.
  2. On the diagram pallet, click the arrow next to the SubProcess and select the needed type of SubProcess.


To expand a SubProcess, do one of the following

  • Right-click a SubProcess shape and from the shortcut menu select Symbol(s) Properties. Then, in the Symbol Properties dialog, click to clear the Suppress Content.
  • Right-click a SubProcess shape and in the shortcut menu click to clear Suppress Content.


To collapse SubProcess, do one of the following

  • Right-click a SubProcess shape and then on the shortcut menu click to select Suppress Content.
  • Right-click a SubProcess shape and from the shortcut menu select Symbol(s) Properties. Then in the Symbol Properties dialog click to select the Suppress Content.


To mark a created SubProcess as an event SubProcess, do one of the following

  • Right-click the SubProcess and on the shortcut menu click to select Triggered By Event.
  • Open the SubProcess Specification window. Select the Triggered By Event check box.


To convert a SubProcess to a Transaction SubProcess or AdHoc SubProcess

  • Right-click the SubProcess and from the shortcut menu select Refactor > Convert To > More Specific > AdHoc SubProcess or Transaction SubProcess.


To convert a Transaction SubProcess or AdHoc SubProcess to a SubProcess

  • Right-click the Ad Hoc SubProcess or Transaction SubProcess and from shortcut menu select Refactor > Convert To > More General> SubProcess.


To display a Start Event icon on a Event SubProcess

  1. Create an expanded Event SubProcess.
  2. Create a Start Event to the Event SubProcess.
  3. Right-click the SubProcess and click to select the Suppress Content check box.
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