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 |
| Event and Workflow (Models tier) | Sequence flow / event | Partial |
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 |
Concept coverage
| Concept | OCOM | BPMN |
|---|---|---|
| Process flow | Covered | Covered |
| Object identity | Covered | Partial |
| Lifecycle | Covered | Partial |
| Governance | Partial | Partial |
| Ownership | Covered | Partial |
| Evidence | Partial | Partial |
| AI retrieval | Partial | Partial |
Three OCOM cells read Partial rather than Covered (Governance, Evidence, AI retrieval), and the reason for each is recorded in the specification's own register: Governance is a Core Characteristic of every Object that no document defines as one (AO-023); Evidence has no Meta, Models or Language definition, its Definition being reserved for a future version (AO-021); AI retrieval is disclaimed by AI/Context/Context Assembly.md, which prescribes no retrieval algorithms (AO-048). Workflow and Event are defined normatively at the Models tier and carry no Core Vocabulary term record.
Covered: the model defines the concept explicitly. Partial: the concept appears indirectly or by convention. Out of scope: the model does not set out to describe it; a boundary, not a deficiency.
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)