BPMN—”the” standard for process modeling and also the foundation for process automation using BPMS tools—is currently in its version 2.02, and that version was published in early 2014.
Since then? Crickets.
So, why haven't we seen an update of the standard? That is a big question and since we had such a blast talking about this topic we went wayyyyy overboard time-wise so that we are splitting the episode into two (well, Episodes 99 and 99 1/2) ;-)
Part 2 will be published in a week from now, on next Monday.
In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:
- Today’s topic: the complaint episode — what’s wrong with BPMN 2.0 and why we need a BPMN 3.0.
- A quick refresher: what BPMN is, where it came from, and why it became the lingua franca of process modeling.
- The promise of BPMN — a vendor-neutral, universal standard that was supposed to be “the last one you’d ever need.”
- The architecture perspective: balancing human understanding with machine execution — and why that balance got lost.
- A trip through history — from BPMN 1.0 (2004) to BPMN 2.0 (2011) and the last official update way back in 2013.
- The big question: why has BPMN stagnated for 12 years despite widespread use and clear pain points?
- Misconceptions and limitations — why BPMN isn’t truly hierarchical and struggles with multi-level process design.
- The missing pieces: business context, data models, organizational links, and real-world process hierarchies.
- AI and automation — how BPMN 2.0 fails to address adaptive, probabilistic, or dynamic process behavior.
- Tool vendors’ workarounds — how they “extended” BPMN to make it usable for analysts and automation implementers.
- The call to action: OMG, it’s time to evolve the standard — let’s build a BPMN 3.0 for the next generation.
- Listener question: how do you use BPMN 2.0? What frustrates you — and how have you worked around it?
Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.