What is CMMN?

CMMN, or Case Management Model and Notation, is a method for mapping out processes or tasks that are more flexible and less predictable—think of situations that involve handling complex cases rather than straightforward workflows.

Imagine you're managing a case, like a medical diagnosis, a legal case, or a customer service issue. Unlike a strict, step-by-step procedure, each of these cases may have many possible paths. Depending on what happens, different actions might be required. CMMN helps you outline and visualize these kinds of scenarios, where things can change based on what's happening at the moment.

In CMMN:

• Cases Are Central: It’s all about managing a “case”. A case is a collection of related tasks, decisions, and data.
• Events Can Change the Path: Instead of a rigid sequence, tasks can adapt based on what events or information come up.
• Human Decisions Matter: CMMN highlights tasks that require human judgment and flexibility, acknowledging that not everything can be automated.
• Visual Notation: Like a flowchart, CMMN uses diagrams to map out these tasks and conditions, but with extra flexibility for changing paths and outcomes.

In short, CMMN is useful for planning and organizing workflows that require a lot of decontrol decision-making and can’t be fully predicted in advance. With CaseFabric it is not only the visual representation but a full platform that can execute these complex case models allowing you to build complex solutions within a short timeframe. The full standard can be found at the CMMN section of the OMG