Swimlane

Intro

A swimlane is a graphical container used to partition activities in a process model. In BPMN, swimlanes are implemented as pools and lanes.

Key points:

• Clarifies roles, systems, or departments.
• Improves visibility of handoffs and responsibilities.
• Common use cases across EA/BPM/Data/App/Tech include cross‑functional workflows and system vs. human task separation.
• Pitfall: too many lanes that make diagrams hard to read.

Examples:

• HR, Manager, and IT lanes in onboarding.
• ERP lane for automated fulfillment steps.
• Customer vs. Company pools in a collaboration.

In practice:

Use the minimum lanes needed to show accountability; map handoffs explicitly.

Related terms: Pool; Lane; BPMN

FAQs:

Q: Are swimlanes required in BPMN?
A: No, but they are common for clarity.

Q: Do lanes span the full diagram?
A: Yes; lanes extend the entire pool.

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