Scope
Compared
- Whether each models process flow or the objects work acts on
- How each treats state and lifecycle
- How governance is expressed
Not compared
- BPMN execution semantics or engine conformance
- Notation and diagram interchange (BPMN DI)
- Specific process modelling tools
Terminology mapping
| OCOM | BPMN | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Object | Data Object | Partial |
| Capability | Task / Activity | Partial |
| Contract | Collaboration / Choreography | Partial |
| Policy | Gateway condition / business rule | Partial |
| Lifecycle | Process / activity state | Partial |
| — | Sequence flow / event | None |
Conceptual differences
| Aspect | OCOM | BPMN |
|---|---|---|
| Centre of gravity | Object-centric — what is governed | Process-centric — how work flows |
| Time | Object state over the whole lifecycle | Ordering of activities within a process |
| Governance | First-class: ownership, policy, constraint | Expressed indirectly through rules and gateways |
| Scope | Spans many processes acting on the same object | Bounded to a single process definition |
Capability matrix
| Capability | OCOM | BPMN |
|---|---|---|
| Process flow | – | |
| Object identity | Partial | |
| Lifecycle | Partial | |
| Governance | – | |
| Ownership | – | |
| Evidence | – | |
| AI retrieval | Partial |
Interoperability
- A BPMN process MAY operate on OCOM Objects; the process supplies the flow, OCOM supplies the governed objects and their state.
- OCOM MAY record the object states that a BPMN activity transitions, giving the process a governed, auditable substrate.
- The recommended composition is BPMN for the verbs and OCOM for the nouns, each referencing the other rather than duplicating it.
References
- OCOM Object
- OCOM Capability
- OCOM Contract
- BPMN 2.0 (Object Management Group)