Process Flows show the activities to be performed and the sequence in which those activities are to be performed. Process Flows show process steps connected by directional arrows that indicate all of the possible paths the process follows. This visual model should always have a clearly defined starting and ending point, which in most cases are actually other processes, using a variety of simple symbols designating differing activities or actions, as shown in the table below.

Keep in mind, this model depicts business processes, not system processes.  It focuses on the users’ involvement, and specifically shows how people are involved in a system and the actions they execute.  

This visual model provides enormous value to stakeholders.  It helps communicate the scope of the project, providing a clear, high-level overview of the entire process.

For more information on this model, visit Visual Models in Agile – Process Flows. 

Learn more about requirements models in our book Visual Models for Software Requirements (Microsoft Press, 2012) Joy Beatty and Anthony Chen. (See Chapter 9 for Process Flows)