Build Your First Process Landscape in Crismo (L0 to L2)

Most process teams start by modeling individual diagrams. That works until you have 30 files in a folder and nobody can find anything. A process landscape gives your documentation structure: which processes exist, how they relate, and where each diagram fits in the bigger picture.

This post walks through building a landscape in Crismo, from a blank workspace to a navigable process architecture. For the methodology behind process landscapes (when to use them, how to define levels, common mistakes), see the comprehensive guide on ProcessCamp.

What a Process Landscape Looks Like

A process landscape has three levels:

L0 (Value Chain): The top-level view. Shows the 5 to 10 major end-to-end process areas that define how your organization creates value. "Order to Cash", "Hire to Retire", "Procure to Pay".

L1 (Process Groups): Each L0 area breaks down into 3 to 8 named groups. "Order to Cash" becomes "Lead Qualification", "Order Entry", "Fulfillment", "Invoicing".

L2 (Detailed Processes): The actual BPMN diagrams with pools, lanes, gateways, events, and tasks.

In Crismo, the landscape is the default starting point, not an afterthought bolted onto a diagram editor.

Step 1: Create a Workspace

Open Crismo and create a new workspace. Give it a name that describes the scope: "ACME Corp Process Architecture" or "Marketing Division Processes". The workspace is the container for your entire landscape.

Step 2: Define the Value Chain (L0)

In the workspace view, you see an empty canvas. This is your L0. Add your major process areas as landscape cards:

1. Click "Add Process Area"
2. Name it using the "X to Y" convention: "Lead to Customer", "Order to Cash", "Hire to Retire"
3. Add a brief description: what starts this process area and what the end state looks like
4. Repeat for each major area (aim for 5 to 10)

The result is a visual value chain that anyone in the organization can read. No BPMN notation here, just named areas with descriptions.

Step 3: Break Down into Process Groups (L1)

Click into any L0 area (for example, "Order to Cash"). You are now inside that area, looking at the L1 level. Add process groups:

1. Click "Add Process Group"
2. Name each group with a clear business capability: "Lead Qualification", "Quote Generation", "Order Processing"
3. Add a process owner (the person accountable for this group)
4. Mark the maturity: is this group fully documented, partially documented, or not yet modeled?

This gives you a structured breakdown that process owners can review. They see their domain and can confirm whether the groupings match how work actually happens.

Step 4: Add Detailed BPMN Diagrams (L2)

Inside any L1 group, you can create or import BPMN diagrams. These are the detailed workflows.

1. Click "New Diagram" to start modeling from scratch
2. Or click "Import" to bring in existing .bpmn files from other tools
3. Or use AI Discovery: paste a text description, interview notes, or meeting transcript and let Crismo generate the first draft

Every diagram lives inside its L1 group. There is no hunting through folders. The landscape structure tells you exactly where each process belongs.

Crismo supports the full BPMN 2.0 notation: parallel gateways, inclusive gateways, timer events, message flows, sub-processes, and everything else in the standard.

Step 5: Navigate and Share

The landscape is now your navigation system. From the workspace view:

• Click an L0 area to see its L1 groups
• Click an L1 group to see its L2 diagrams
• Click any diagram to open the full BPMN editor
• Use the breadcrumb trail to navigate back up the hierarchy

Share the workspace with your team. Everyone sees the same structure and can navigate to any process in two clicks. No more "ask Sarah where the order processing diagram is".

For real-time collaboration, multiple people can edit the same diagram simultaneously, similar to Google Docs. Comments and version history are built in.

Importing an Existing Library

If you already have diagrams in draw.io, Visio, or another BPMN tool:

1. Use the free draw.io converter or Visio converter to get .bpmn files
2. Build the L0 and L1 structure in Crismo first
3. Import each .bpmn file into the correct L1 group

This is faster than you might expect. The structure-first approach means you know exactly where each diagram should live before you import it.

The Landscape as a Living Document

A process landscape is not a one-time deliverable. It grows as you model more processes and evolves as the organization changes. In Crismo, the landscape updates as you add diagrams, so the overview always reflects the current state of documentation.

Schedule quarterly reviews with process owners. Walk through the L1 groups and ask: is this still accurate? Which processes have changed? Which gaps should we fill next?

Try It

Open the Crismo playground and build your first landscape. No signup required. Start with 3 to 5 L0 areas and see how the hierarchy comes together.

For the methodology behind process landscapes (leveling conventions, naming standards, when to add L3/L4), read the Process Landscape Guide on ProcessCamp.