Ten years ago‎,‎ groupware bundled with email and calendar applications helped track the flow of work from person to person within an organization‎.‎ Workflow in today‎'‎s enterprise means more monitoring and orchestrating massive systems‎.‎ A new technology called Business Process Management‎,‎ or BPM‎,‎ helps software architects and developers design‎,‎ code‎,‎ run‎,‎ administer‎,‎ and monitor complex network‎-based business processes BPM replaces those sketchy flowchart diagrams that business analysts draw on whiteboards with a precise model that uses standard graphical and XML representations‎,‎ and an architecture that allows it converse with other services‎,‎ systems‎,‎ and users‎.‎ Sound complicated‎?‎ It is‎.‎ But it‎'‎s downright frustrating when you have to search the Web for every little piece of information vital to the process‎.‎ Essential Business Process Modeling gathers all the concepts‎,‎ design‎,‎ architecture‎,‎ and standard specifications of BPM into one concise book‎,‎ and offers hands‎-on examples that illustrate BPM‎'‎s approach to process notation‎,‎ execution‎,‎ administration and monitoring‎.‎ Author Mike Havey demonstrates standard ways to code rigorous processes that are centerpieces of a service‎-oriented architecture ‎(‎SOA‎)‎‎,‎ which defines how networks interact so that one can perform a service for the other‎.‎ His book also shows how BPM complements enterprise application integration ‎(‎EAI‎)‎‎,‎ a method for moving from older applications to new ones‎,‎ and Enterprise Service BUS for integrating different web services‎,‎ messaging‎,‎ and XML technologies into a single network‎.‎ BPM‎,‎ he says‎,‎ is to this collection of services what a conductor is to musicians in an orchestra‎:‎ it coordinates their actions in the performance of a larger composition‎.‎ Essential Business Process Modeling teaches you how to develop examples of process‎-oriented applications using free tools that can be run on an average PC or laptop‎.‎ You‎'‎ll also learn about BPM design patterns and best practices‎,‎ as well as some underlying theory‎.‎ The best way to monitor processes within an enterprise is with BPM‎,‎ and the best way to navigate BPM is with this valuable book‎.‎