Timer event

How to read it

BPMN 2.0.2 requires a clock marker for timer events. A timer start event starts a process at a set time and date or on a cycle, such as every Monday at 9am, the standard’s own example. In the flow, a timer intermediate event is a delay. Camunda’s BPMN reference notes that time can only be waited for, not caused, so timer events are only start or intermediate events.

Also searched as: bpmn timer, bpmn timer event, clock bpmn, timer event symbol.

Timeouts on a task

A timer drawn on the edge of a task is a timeout. Camunda’s reference calls this a countdown, and in Politecnico di Milano’s example the path leaving the timer is taken only if the task doesn’t finish before the time runs out.

Look-alikes

A Message event has an envelope where the timer has a clock. Both are drawn with the double line of an Intermediate event when they happen partway through a process.