Task
One step of work in a process that isn’t broken down any further. A task is a rectangle with rounded corners, with the work written inside.
Easily confused with
- Sub-processA sub-process is a task box with a small plus at the bottom.
- ProcessA flowchart process box has square corners.
- ProcessSomething the system does to data: it takes inputs and turns them into outputs. In Yourdon/DeMarco notation a process is a circle, or bubble; in Gane and Sarson notation it is a rectangle with rounded corners.
How to read it
BPMN 2.0.2 defines a task as an atomic activity, used when the work is not broken down to a finer level of detail. Politecnico di Milano’s exercise book defines an activity as a unit of work. Tasks and sub-processes are the two kinds of activity and are both rounded rectangles; Camunda’s BPMN reference says the only difference is the plus sign on a collapsed sub-process.
Also searched as: bpmn activity, bpmn task, rounded rectangle bpmn, task symbol.
Task types
A small icon in the top left corner gives a task a type. The standard draws a filled envelope for a send task, a human figure for a user task and a hand for a manual task.
Look-alikes
A flowchart process box has square corners. A Sub-process is the same rounded box with a small square holding a plus sign at the bottom. A Pool or Lane (swimlane) is square-cornered and much longer, with a name band at one end.
Read next
- Next in BPMN symbolsSub-processA step that has a process of its own inside it. A collapsed sub-process is a rounded rectangle with a small square holding a plus sign at the bottom centre.
- The same shape in Video game ratingsT (Teen)T (Teen) is the ESRB rating for a video game whose content the ESRB considers generally suitable for ages 13 and up.
More BPMN symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with squares and rectangles.
Sources
- Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), Version 2.0.2, OMG document formal/2013-12-09, December 2013 (also ISO/IEC 19510), Object Management Group, Section 10.3.3 and Table 7.2
- Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN): Modeling Exercises, Cinzia Cappiello, Pierluigi Plebani and Monica Vitali, v.1.1, 2016 (CC BY-SA), Politecnico di Milano, Chapter 1, 1.2 Subprocesses
- BPMN 2.0 Symbols: a complete guide with examples, BPMN reference, adapted from Freund and Rücker, Real-Life BPMN, Camunda, Activities: Subprocess
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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