What is an activity diagram?

Although activity diagrams follow standardised rules in UML, there is still some freedom in creating these diagrams, particularly in terms of what elements to include. Most commonly, activity diagrams include the following components:

Activities describe business processes, and include activity nodes and activity edges, allowing tasks to flow along a sequence.

An action is a task performed either by the software of the user. Actions begin when all input conditions have been met and use incoming and outgoing activity edges to specify the flow of control and data between activity nodes.

An activity edge is a direct connection between activity nodes, representing the path that a token can take between two activity nodes. The activity edge is responsible for continuing the flow towards the next action once the previous action has been completed.

Control flows are connectors that visualise the flow between steps in the diagram.

The initial node at the beginning of the diagram, the start node represents the starting point of the activity.

A decision is a point in the diagram where the user or the software has a choice to make. Each option leads to a new branch, so the decision is made up of one input, and at least two outputs.

Merges are the opposites of decisions, bringing together multiple branches or flows into a single point. A merge is made up of at least two inputs and only one output.

The end node is the final step in the activity; completion of the end node denotes that the activity has likewise been completed.

With Process Automation, organisations have an easy-to-use solution for fast, accurate and cost-effective diagramming. More specifically, companies that use ServiceNow Process Automation tend to enjoy the following advantages:

Place vital processes and all their corresponding tasks, activities, actions, responsibilities and dependencies under a microscope. Unmatched process visibility makes it possible to continually measure and improve service delivery to align with SLAs and customer expectations more closely. With ServiceNow, the act of optimising processes is ongoing and effective.

Processes aren’t the only aspects that stand to improve from Process Optimization; employees, agents and others who are involved in relevant processes will have a more-detailed view of their own performance. Process Optimization makes it possible to see and compare effectiveness across an organisation, so that leaders and employees can take steps to improve results for workgroups and tasks.

By streamlining business processes, ServiceNow Process Optimization allows organisations to cut away unnecessary elements and provide employees and machines with a straight-forward, easy-to-follow sequence of steps to reach activity completion. This frees up resources and gives businesses a chance to apply those resources to other projects and tasks, improving productivity across the board.

Along with increased productivity, the ability to eliminate unnecessary variants from core business processes also helps reduce investment costs. Organisations can do more with less, for increased business-process efficiency.

Streamlined processes mean faster solutions. And, by integrating with ServiceNow Continual Improvement Management and other ServiceNow apps, organisations can improve their workflows faster than ever before.