Group
A Group visually surrounds related elements to show logical grouping without affecting process flow. It provides visual organization for documentation or highlighting purposes.
What is a Group?
A Group is a visual artifact that surrounds elements sharing a common characteristic. It groups elements for documentation purposes without creating execution scope or affecting process flow.
Visual Representation
A Group displays as a rounded rectangle with a dashed border. It can span multiple activities, gateways, and other elements to show they belong together conceptually.
Key Characteristics
- Visual grouping: Shows elements belong together conceptually
- No execution impact: Does not create scope or affect process logic
- Cross-boundary: Can span lanes, though elements stay in their lanes
- Documentation artifact: Used for categorization and organization
Common mistake
Treating groups like sub-processes. Groups are purely visual annotations — they have no effect on token flow, scope, or error handling.
How it connects
Common Use Cases
Phase Indication
Group activities belonging to the same project phase (e.g., "Initiation", "Execution", "Closure").
Compliance Scope
Visually highlight activities subject to specific regulatory requirements.
Feature Grouping
Show which activities belong to a specific product feature or capability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related BPMN Elements
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