Modeling or framework standards are very important for correctly describing semantics through models and thus establishing a good communication among different stakeholders. But regular everyday experience is teaching us that model and diagram interchange (MDI) with e.g. UML® models (via XMI) or BPMN™ models (via XPDL) does not always work well to receive high quality deliverables, to say the least. And please forget about round-tripping among tools. So MDI is usually a somewhat horrible exercise for architects or developers.

At BPM-X we receive inquiries from organizations round the globe using tools from different vendors for enterprise architecture (EA), business process analysis (BPA) or business process management systems (BPMS). Even if a BPM platform vendor like TIBCO offers the complete stack of BPM tools, additional tools come into the game for e.g. for process mapping using SPARX Enterprise Architect or Microsoft Visio® with the need to interchange process model data.