The Process architecture view is a special view in the ArchiMate® model that can be used to create a process landscape map. It is a common starting point for process design and all activities related to business process management (BPM). It helps to identify and structure an organization's processes. With process landscapes, you can easily gain an overview of your main processes. The Process architecture view helps you update and maintain the layout of the landscape map easily.

The following ArchiMate® objects can be used in the Process architecture view: Business processes, Business activities, and Business interactions.

To create a landscape map that allows all types of objects, use the Nested view.

Example of a Process architecture view

There are two ways to populate the Process architecture view. The choice you make depends on how you want to model and maintain the landscape map, as well as how the data in your model is structured. With both approaches, you can create new objects in the view if needed.

Populating via drag-and-drop

Populate the view by dragging objects from different levels and/or sections in the model onto it and creating new objects. Manually structure and nest the objects in the view to add hierarchy. When updating the view, the objects are always rearranged, conforming to how they are organized in the view, not how they are organized in the model. The objects are laid out following the view's layout settings.

Populating based on a model root

Populate the view by selecting the 'starting point' in your model package containing the complete structure of objects you want to include. This can be useful if you have structured all the needed objects in one place in your model. The objects in the view are always organized according to their hierarchical structure in the model and when the view is updated. Any hierarchical changes made in the view will be ignored. The objects are laid out following the view's layout settings.

This populating method cannot be used on objects stored in your model package's 'Collections' folder. This folder is present if you have included external objects and/or Horizzon-created objects in your model package. These objects do not have a hierarchy in the model browser. Use the drag-and-drop approach to use these objects in the view.

Both approaches are illustrated below, using processes from the example model package that you can download at the bottom of this page.

Creating the view using drag-and-drop

1. In your ArchiMate model in the model browser, right-click the folder where you want to add the Process architecture view, and then click New > Process architecture > Process architecture view.
   
2. Click the newly added view in the model browser to open it. An empty Process architecture view will then appear.
   
   
3. In the model browser, select the objects you want to include and drag them onto the view. If needed, rearrange them in the view. You can also create new objects on the view and include them in the landscape.
   
   
4. When you are done, press F6 to arrange the objects in the view automatically. The objects are laid out according to the view's active layout settings and hierarchically organized as you position them.
   
   
5. Finalize the look of your landscape map using the view's layout settings. Open the canvas menu and click . Any changes you make will be directly visible in the view. Close the settings window when you are done.
   
   

The result is a Process architecture view displayed following the latest settings. Example:

Creating the view based on a model root

The "Order Fulfillment and Procurement" model from the example model package is used for this procedure. All processes are located in one location. You can download the model package at the bottom of this page.

1. In your ArchiMate model in the model browser, right-click the folder to which you want to add the Process architecture view, and then click New > Process architecture > Process architecture view.
   
2. Click the newly added view in the model browser to open it. An empty Process architecture view will then appear.
   
   
3. Click to open the view's canvas menu, and then click to open the layout settings.
   
   
4. Activate Present model hierarchy by clicking the red cross next to it.
5. In Model root, select the starting point for selecting objects you want to include in the view. You can choose a Business layer, Business process, Business activity, or Business interaction as the root. Ensure all objects you want to add are located below this root.
   
   The view is filled with the objects included in the root selection. They are organized according to how they are structured and laid out in your model, conforming to the view's active layout settings.
   
   
   You can also create new objects on the view if needed. However, they will not necessarily be added to the model structure you set as your population's root. You may need to relocate these objects in your model to ensure they are included in the structure of the model root. If you add new objects and place them within the model root structure, refresh the view to include them in the view. Open the canvas menu and click   to do this.
   
6. Optional: To change the number of process hierarchy levels shown in the view, change the value in Number of hierarchy levels. If the number of levels in the example view is changed from three to two, it looks like this:
   
   
7. Finalize the look of your landscape map using the view's layout settings. Any changes you make will be directly visible in the view. When you are done, close the settings window.
   

The result is a Process architecture view displayed following the latest settings. When new objects are added to the model root structure or deleted from there, click in the canvas menu to refresh the view. New objects will be included, and deleted objects will be removed from the view. Example:

Example model

Download the example model here, including SIPOC, IGOE, and Process architecture views:

BPM views - SIPOC-IGOE-Process architecture.xma