- Introduction
- Getting started
- Process modeling
- Process implementation
- Debugging
- Simulating
- Publishing and upgrading agentic processes
- Common implementation scenarios
- Extracting and validating documents
- Process operations
- Process monitoring
- Process optimization
- Reference information
Maestro user guide
Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is an open standard maintained by the Object Management Group (OMG) and widely adopted for modeling complex business processes.
Its visual format bridges the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders, making it easier to design, review, and collaborate on process logic.
BPMN in Maestro
In Maestro, BPMN is the language you use to turn real-world processes into automation-ready models. You sketch the logic, define hand-offs, and specify triggers and outcomes—then refine the model until it's precise enough to run.
BPMN includes a rich set of symbols (events, tasks, gateways, flows, and artifacts). Maestro focuses on the most practical subset for automation so that diagrams remain clear, unambiguous, and executable.
A BPMN diagram is a contract
Think of a BPMN diagram in Maestro as a three-part contract:
- Human-readable — Any stakeholder can review the logic.
- Machine-actionable — Maestro can validate and orchestrate it.
- Maintainable — Changes to the diagram modify behavior without hidden logic.
Anatomy of a process
A typical automation starts with a trigger (incoming message, schedule, or button click). It proceeds through work steps (human or system), branches with decisions, and ends with a result (completed, canceled, or failed).
BPMN gives you the building blocks for each stage. Maestro provides guardrails—naming conventions, validation, and execution semantics—so your models behave exactly as drawn.
What you'll learn in this chapter
This primer orients you to the BPMN elements you’ll actually use in Maestro and how to choose among them:
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Events in BPMN modeling
Events mark something that happens: a process start (e.g., message or timer), something occurring mid‑flow (e.g., wait for a reply, catch a signal, handle a timeout), or a process end (success, escalation, error). You’ll learn how to pick the right event type to model triggers, waits, timeouts, and error handling cleanly.
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Tasks in BPMN modeling
Tasks represent work to be performed. You’ll see when to use user‑driven steps (approvals, data entry) versus system‑driven steps (API calls, scripts), and how to encapsulate reusable logic with subprocesses and call activities.
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Gateways (decision and sync points)
Gateways control the path of execution: choose one path (exclusive), take many paths (parallel), or take the matching set (inclusive). You’ll learn patterns for routing, merging, and avoiding deadlocks or orphaned tokens.
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Markers (behavior qualifiers)
Markers modify how a task or subprocess behaves: looping, multi‑instance (run once per item), ad‑hoc, or compensation. You’ll learn when markers make intent explicit and when a simpler pattern reads better.
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Sequence flows show order of work inside a participant; message flows show communication between participants (e.g., your process and an external system or partner). You’ll learn how to keep responsibilities clear with pools and lanes.
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Data objects, data stores, annotations, and groups help you document inputs/outputs and business rules without cluttering control flow. You’ll learn which artifacts improve understanding and which to omit for clarity.
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Execution semantics in Maestro
A quick mental model of token flow, concurrency, and error propagation so you can predict runtime behavior from the diagram and design for retries, timeouts, and compensations.
A simple example
Imagine an Invoice Approval flow: a message start event receives an invoice, a user task captures approver input, an exclusive gateway routes invoices over a threshold to a second approver, and a service task posts the approved invoice to finance. A timer boundary event on the user task escalates if no action occurs within 48 hours, and an error end event records failures. Each symbol carries specific meaning; together, they make the process unambiguous for both reviewers and the automation engine.
Maestro favors clarity over exhaustiveness. When in doubt, choose the simplest BPMN construct that communicates intent and supports execution (e.g., one clear start, explicit merges for splits, and descriptive names on tasks, events, and gateways).