Patterns library

Insert prebuilt, fully wired process structures into a Maestro BPMN process, such as AI decisions with human review, approval chains, and failure handling.

The patterns library provides prebuilt pieces of process for structures that recur across most enterprise processes, such as an AI decision with a human review step, a multi-level approval chain, or a catch-all failure handler.

A pattern is not a template for a complete process. It is a section of process that you insert into a process you are building. When you insert one, it arrives fully wired: nodes are connected, gateway conditions are written, process variables are created, and human-in-the-loop forms are generated. Everything the pattern adds remains editable afterward.

Patterns are use case agnostic. The structure you get is the same whether you are building invoice processing or claims intake. What differs is the implementation you bind to each step, such as your own agents, RPA processes, and connectors.

When to use a pattern

Use a pattern when the structure you are about to model is one of the recurring shapes in the library. Patterns save you from rebuilding that structure element by element and from missing details such as gateway conditions, variable wiring, or form outcomes.

Model the elements yourself when the logic is specific to your process. A single lookup, a comparison, or a one-step service call does not need a pattern.

Available patterns

The library includes seven patterns. Most offer several variants, which are structural alternatives for different situations.

模式	操作	变体
AI Decision with Human Review	AI handles routine cases, ambiguous ones go to a human reviewer.	Single-reviewer, Tiered Reviewer, AI Verification Chain
Multi-Level Approval Chain	A request clears several approvers before it moves forward.	Sequential, Parallel, Risk-tiered
Smart Triage & Routing	Classify incoming work and send it to the right downstream path.	Rule-based, AI-based, Hybrid
Waiting on External Response	Pause for an outside reply, remind before the deadline, escalate after.	Single-channel, First valid response wins, Long-running probe
High-Volume Processing	Run many items in parallel, where one bad item does not stop the batch.	Batch
Failure Escalation	One safety net catches unhandled failures and escalates them.	Catch-all safety net, Code-specific net
Queue-Based Work Distribution	A durable queue hands work from producers to processors.	Dispatcher, Performer

Each variant in the picker includes a Use when description to help you choose. For example, within AI Decision with Human Review, use Single-reviewer when reviewers are interchangeable, and use Tiered Reviewer when your organization distinguishes approval authority between junior and senior reviewers.

Open the patterns library

You can open the patterns library from three places on the modeling canvas:

• Left toolbar: select the Patterns section.
• Add element menu: select an element on the canvas, then select Patterns in the quick-add menu. Use this when you are partway through modeling and want to add a pattern next to a specific element.
• Empty canvas: on a new process, select insert a proven pattern in the canvas hint.

The first time you open the library, a First time using patterns? panel explains how patterns work. You can dismiss it.

The library opens to a picker that shows the available pattern cards, descriptions, variants, search field, and first-use guidance.

After you select a pattern, choose a variant and continue to the configuration view described in Insert a pattern.

Insert a pattern

1. Open the patterns library.
2. Browse the available patterns, or use the search box to filter by name.
3. Select a pattern. The configure view opens, showing the variants for that pattern.
4. Select a variant. The preview shows exactly what the variant adds to your canvas, and the summary lists the number of nodes, edges, variables, and human-in-the-loop forms you receive.
5. Choose an insertion mode:
   • Add inline: the pattern's nodes drop directly onto the canvas, each one visible and editable.
   • As collapsed subprocess: a single collapsed subprocess lands on the canvas. Open it to see the pattern inside.
6. Select Insert pattern.

Replace an existing element with a pattern

You can also replace an element on the canvas with a pattern. Select the element first, then open the patterns library and choose a pattern. The element is replaced by a collapsed subprocess containing the pattern.

备注：

Replacing an element always creates a collapsed subprocess. The inline insertion mode is not available in this flow.

How a pattern is inserted

On an empty canvas, the first pattern you insert replaces the blank start event and becomes the backbone of your process.

In all other cases, the pattern lands as a self-contained block next to the element you opened the library from. It is not automatically connected to the rest of your process, because the pattern has its own entry and exit points and only you know where they belong. Connect the pattern into your flow after inserting it.

The entire insertion is a single undo step. If the result is not what you expected, undo once to remove the whole pattern.

After you insert a pattern

Everything the pattern adds is editable. You can rename nodes, change gateway conditions, remove branches you do not need, and edit the generated forms.

Steps that depend on your systems are inserted as placeholders. Pattern node names in square brackets, such as [Reviewer: ops queue / process owner], mark where you bind your own implementation. Annotations on the canvas, such as Configure implementation, mark the same. Bind these to your agents, RPA processes, or connectors.

Patterns in diagrams with participants

In a diagram that uses participants, a pattern can only be added as a collapsed subprocess inside one of them. The inline insertion mode is not available.

If a diagram contains an empty participant, add at least one element to it before inserting a pattern.

相关页面

• Common modeling patterns covers general BPMN modeling patterns, such as sequences, loops, and error handling.
• 流程建模
• Autopilot for Maestro