Process maps that get used
The process was mapped once, in a drawing tool, and the people who do the work have never seen it. Elements.cloud maps processes in UPN, Universal Process Notation, and everyone finds their own role's processes online, with the documents attached. We resell Elements.cloud and advise on it.
What Universal Process Notation is
UPN, Universal Process Notation, is a simple notation that is quick for the process group to draw and easy for everyone else to understand and act on. It is the notation Elements.cloud uses, and the one TIBCO Nimbus used before it.
One kind of box
Every activity is the same kind of box, with recurring symbols for attached documents, web links and other supporting data. There is nothing to learn before reading a map.
Layered from overview to detail
Maps are layered: the company's processes on one page, and each activity opens a more detailed diagram underneath it.
Roles on the activities
Roles and resources sit on the activities, and standards such as ISO 9001 are tagged where they apply, so each person sees what they do and which requirement it meets.
When people can see the map
- Draw it together in a workshop — The drawing tool runs in the browser and is easy enough to use live in a workshop, with drag and drop, swimlanes, styling options and guidance on screen.
- Reach the people who do the work — Each person opens a portal that shows the approved processes and documents for their own role.
- ISO 9001 on the activities it applies to — Reference models such as ISO 9001 are tagged on the activities they apply to, so people meet the requirement in the middle of their own work. It is the basis for a quality management system that works with ISO.
- See how processes are used — Business analytics show how the organisation works with its processes. Version control and a change log keep the history.
From the first workshop to a published map
We have implemented business process management solutions for more than ten years. Projects differ, and most of them go through these phases.
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Step 1: Start with the whole company on one page
In workshops, the process owners draw one overview diagram. It holds the operational processes, from management and development to sales and delivery, and the support processes such as finance and HR, IT and quality.
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Step 2: Process owners hand out the detail
Each process owner delegates the detailed mapping to authors and follows their progress. Existing SOPs can be the starting point, because the AI in Elements.cloud can derive process diagrams from text.
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Step 3: Put roles and documents on the activities
Roles and resources go on the activities, the documents are linked to them, and standards such as ISO 9001 are tagged where they apply. With M‑Files holding the documents, the process maps appear inside M‑Files as well.
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Step 4: Publish once it is approved
A diagram goes through draft, review and approval. Then it appears in the portal for the roles it concerns.
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Step 5: Keep improving
Changes are made in a new draft and published when approved, so the map in use is left undisturbed. The analytics show where to focus next.
Every change is reviewed before it goes live
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Draft
Process author
The author creates or changes the diagram in a draft. End users still see the published version.
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Review
Reviewer
The draft is reviewed before it goes for approval.
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Approval
Approver
The approved diagram is ready to publish, and the change is recorded in its history.
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Published
End users see the approved diagram in the portal for their role.
What process management is for
Everyone understands their role
Processes are documented in a structured way, in clear and simple language. Every employee understands their role wherever they take part, along with their assignments and responsibilities.
The processes are part of the working day
A process people look at often guides what they do, and shows where their work meets the next team's.
The map matches how you work
The people who use the map suggest changes to it, so the documented process stays close to how the work is done.
Each activity opens its procedure
With M‑Files holding your documents, the process map opens inside M‑Files, beside the documents it governs. The link between the two is CtrlProcesses, a product from our development partner CtrlDocs.
- Reach it from either side — Open the process from M‑Files or from Elements.cloud, and see M‑Files content in its business context.
- Start the work from the diagram — An activity can start the work it describes: a new document from its template, or a new project, straight from the map.
- Quality processes linked to the map — M‑Files workflows for quality processes are connected to the visual processes.
For quality managers and Nimbus customers
VisualQMS
A complete quality management system on M‑Files, with your process maps built in.
Visit visualqms.comReplacing TIBCO Nimbus
TIBCO retired Nimbus in 2025. Elements.cloud uses the same UPN notation, and we help you move.
Read about the moveQuality management
Controlled documents, training, audits and CAPA in VisualQMS, which runs on M‑Files.
See quality managementDocument management
The procedures behind the activities, with their versions and approvals.
See document management