Parent Process

Intro

A parent process is a process that contains a sub‑process within its boundaries. In BPMN, it provides hierarchy for clarity and reuse.

Key points:

• Improves readability by encapsulating detail.
• Enables reuse of common sub‑processes.
• Common use cases across EA/BPM/Data/App/Tech include modular workflows, shared services, and compliance steps.
• Pitfall: creating deep hierarchies that are hard to navigate.

Examples:

• “Fulfill Order” contains sub‑process “Pick, Pack, Ship.”
• “Onboard Employee” contains “Provision Access.”
• “Manage Incident” contains “Run Root Cause Analysis.”

In practice:

Use sub‑processes for repeatable chunks; keep the parent flow focused on orchestration and outcomes.

Related terms: Sub Process; Process; Call Activity

FAQs:

Q: Can sub‑processes be reused across parents?
A: Yes, via call activities or referenced models.

Q: Do parent processes show all details?
A: No; they abstract details into sub‑processes.

‍