Last updated: 21st May 2025
First published: 4th September 2023
What is UPN (Universal Process Notation)? In the world of Process Mapping, UPN is a method of mapping that’s easy to understand for the widest audience. It is designed to work for anyone and not just the technical experts. UPN was first documented as a specification at Nimbus Partners, which later became part of TIBCO Software. Craig Willis, who wrote the early versions of the specification, is one of the founders of Liberty Spark – our process improvement solution. Today, there are several software products, including Liberty Spark, that support Universal Process Notation.
Read on to discover why UPN could be the solution to stronger collaboration, stakeholder buy-in and engagement in process management for your organisation.
In this article, we’ll answer the following questions for you:
Universal Process Notation, commonly abbreviated to UPN, is a business process mapping approach that uses a clear, consistent structure and plain language to describe processes step by step, from start to finish. It is designed to be easily understood by technical and non-technical stakeholders. Universal Process Notation is based on the IDEF0 system modelling with some simplifications.
UPN uses symbols to describe business processes in a universal way. It is the simplest format and is quick to learn and straightforward to read. Business process notations, such as UPN and BPMN, are standardised methods of mapping business processes in a visual form.
Read our blog to know more about the differences between UPN vs BPMN.
Liberty Spark helps to map business processes to understand how work is carried out across an organisation. Using diagrams, our process mapping software visualises how tasks and data flow through different parts of the business. This visual approach makes it easier to understand complex processes.
UPN is a very clear language that really focuses on how people describe and think about work. It uses one shape to represent an activity in a process and natural language to describe the type of activity.
A process mapped using UPN answers, “Who needs to do what, when, why, and how?” at a glance.
Here is an example of a process map using UPN:
Let’s look at an example – here, if the activity is to ‘send a notification’, it is described as:
Every activity in UPN is followed by an output. The output tells us why the activity is done, or when it’s finished. UPN is designed to be used in a conversational setting, like an interview or workshop.
As such, the output is a powerful tool to help individuals think more deeply about the process. So here we can describe the output very simply as:
The final key building block of any UPN process is the Role, or Resource, required to do the activity. This is the Who – the person that does the activity, or the system required. We can very easily add this to our activity box. This activity shows a role and a system with RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed).
One of the unique aspects of UPN is that it has multiple levels within a single process map. UPN recommends that process diagrams are easy to read and fit on a computer screen. This can be hard for processes with lots of activities, but UPN makes it easy by using this approach. The ‘detail view’ button is on the top left of the ‘what’ box and can be created with a single click.
Activities are grouped together and then summarised in a single activity with a sub-process, or detailed view, underneath.
There are no limits to the number of levels you create; it’s all about making it easy to read. It’s a bit like Google Maps, where you can zoom into the detailed street view for a given town or city.
Finally, other important information can be easily associated with steps in a process through attachments. These could be detailed descriptions, additional instructions or links to other places. Ultimately, it’s about making sure that all the information is just one click away from anyone following the process. A variety of attachment types are accessible through the paperclip icon.
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Universal Process Notation can be used in most situations where we require process maps. It is particularly powerful where you need to involve large numbers or a diverse range of people. Designed for business users, UPN bridges the gap between technical and non-technical teams.
For example, if cross-functional teams must collaborate on a process, UPN provides a simple common language for all the teams working together.
Because the approach is so simple, it’s easy enough to use to map processes live into software during a workshop. This saves a huge amount of time for both the analyst and the participants. No one needs to wait for notes to be rewritten and shuffled around, it can be done at the pace of the conversation in the room.
At the end of the workshop, the processes can be shared directly rather than waiting to be transcribed into another software product. Plus, if you have key stakeholders in the room, there’s no reason why you can’t sign off on your process straightaway, and there’s no waiting around for weeks for people to come back to you.
“UPN is a very clear language that really focuses on how people describe and think about work. It uses one shape to represent an activity in a process and natural language to describe the type of activity.”
Craig Willis
Head of Client Solutions – Process Improvement, Netcall
The simple style of UPN means that everyone in the workshop can structure their thoughts in a more natural way. As a result, we get more analysis taking place in the workshop, rather than after. The participants and stakeholders can quickly develop a better understanding of the problems and solutions in the process. This means they get clarity early on and are more likely to buy-in and engage.
Explore Why UPN is best for process improvement methodologies?
Finally, the simplicity of the notation makes it easy enough to read, so you don’t need to train someone to understand it. That means that an organisation isn’t dependent on just one person having the skills to manage process mapping and saves time. New employees can grasp process flows more easily through UPN diagrams.
The straightforward format means the processes can then be used for many different types of documentation, such as standards, training and user manuals.
With many of the benefits around Universal Process Notation being about simplicity, there are a huge number of uses.
Since UPN is designed for clarity and collaboration, with a focus on easy-to-understand symbols and flexible structure, the key principles of UPN are:
Thoughtfully implementing UPN will help organisations maximise the benefits of this strategic move. We recommend following the steps below to guide successful adoption. Please note that the implementation process can vary based on business scopes.
Start by identifying the purpose behind implementing UPN. Do you want it to streamline operations, improve compliance, or enhance onboarding? It is also important to define which processes will be modelled first and set boundaries around them.
Start by defining the beginning and end of the process you’re mapping. Then, begin with an end-to-end process overview using 5–10 key activity boxes. Each box should describe a task using the subject–verb–object format, include the responsible role, key inputs, and outputs. This level sets the foundation for clarity and makes it easier to identify where drill-downs are necessary later.
Create a linked subprocess for each high-level box that requires more explanation. Use the same UPN format, breaking the activity into smaller, manageable steps. To keep the process concise, aim for no more than 8-10 activity boxes per screen.
Review each process map with the people performing or overseeing the tasks. This step ensures accuracy, builds trust and reveals any steps that might have been overlooked.
Once validated, make the finalised UPN diagrams easily accessible across the organisation. Embed them into team portals, onboarding resources, or enterprise tools. Link relevant documents, systems, or policies to the activity boxes where possible.
Assign ownership for each process map, typically a process owner or team lead, who will review and update it as needed. Some suggested actions are establishing a review schedule, setting guidelines for version control, and providing feedback submission. Good governance ensures your UPN library stays accurate, up-to-date and valuable as a central source of process truth over time.
At the time of writing this article, Universal Process Notation has been in use in organisations of all sizes for over 20 years. UPN has been used to underpin Business Process Management and Improvement programmes in global organisations in Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Retail and Manufacturing.
And it’s not just the largest organisations that benefit from this approach. Thousands of small and medium-sized businesses have used UPN to scale up and improve customer experience.
If you’re planning any of the initiatives above, keep these things in mind when deciding whether UPN is the right approach to use:
Are you planning to use UPN in your organisation?
Implementing UPN is easier when using our intuitive process mapping and improvement platform, Liberty Spark, which is designed for business users with built-in UPN support. You can easily create, link and share process maps using drag-and-drop functionality, role assignments and automated version tracking.
Our process solution makes process management fast, collaborative, and scalable—whether you’re starting small or rolling out organisation-wide.
Talk to us to learn more about the fastest and easiest UPN software available today.
Are you planning to use UPN in your organisation? Talk to us to learn more about the fastest and easiest UPN software available today.
