Framing the Question

If you’ve ever struggled to model a business process that felt too flexible for BPMN or too rigid for CMMN, you’re not alone. Many professionals face this exact dilemma—trying to fit adaptive, knowledge-driven work into a structured flowchart, or forcing a case into a predefined path. The truth is, both BPMN and CMMN exist for a reason: they solve different problems in the business workflow landscape.

This section equips you with the foundational understanding you need to make informed modeling decisions. Rather than treating these notations as rivals, we’ll explore how they evolved, why they coexist, and how the best organizations use both—strategically and in tandem. With over two decades of experience in hybrid process modeling, I’ve seen firsthand how misalignment in notation choice leads to wasted effort and poor adoption.

By the end of this section, you’ll no longer ask, “Which one should I use?” Instead, you’ll ask, “What kind of work am I modeling?”—and have the clarity to respond with confidence.

What This Section Covers

Here’s what you’ll learn to help you build better models from the ground up:

• Why Two Modeling Standards Exist – Discover the historical roots of BPMN and CMMN within the OMG ecosystem and how the rise of knowledge work demanded a new kind of process model.
• How CMMN and BPMN Complement Each Other – Learn why these standards aren’t competing—they’re designed to work together, supporting both routine and adaptive processes in mature organizations.
• The Decision Problem: Choosing the Right Notation – Understand the core criteria—predictability, frequency, control, and data dependencies—that guide whether to model with BPMN or CMMN.
• Understanding Business Process Continuums – Grasp the spectrum of process types, from highly structured to fully adaptive, and use it to guide your modeling strategy and hybrid approach.

By the End You Should Be Able To…

• Articulate the fundamental reasons why BPMN and CMMN exist side by side.
• Explain how structured and adaptive processes complement each other in real-world scenarios.
• Identify when to use process modeling (BPMN) versus case modeling (CMMN) based on business context.
• Apply the process continuum framework to categorize work and select the right notation.
• Recognize that CMMN and BPMN integration is not just possible—it’s often necessary for enterprise-grade modeling.
• Make informed decisions without relying on default assumptions or tool-centric biases.

Understanding CMMN BPMN background isn’t just about learning two notations—it’s about mastering a mindset. You’ll stop asking, “Which one is better?” and start asking, “Which one fits the work?” That shift in thinking is where real process excellence begins.