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Note: The following is an excerpt from the actual document. It is provided here as a convenience and is not authoritative. Refer to the original document as the authoritative reference.

This specification defines a common meta-model and notation for modeling and graphically expressing a Case, as well as an interchange format for exchanging Case models among different tools. The specification is intended to capture the common elements that Case management products use, while also taking into account current research contributions on Case management. It is to Case management products what the OMG Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) specification is to business process management products. This specification is intended to be consistent with and complementary to BPMN.

BPMN has been adopted as a business process modeling standard. It addresses capabilities incorporated in a number of other business process modeling languages, where processes are described as the predefined sequences of activities with decisions (gateways) to direct the sequence along alternative paths or for iterations. These models are effective for predefined, fully specified, repeatable business processes.

For some time, there has been discussion of the need to model activities that are not so predefined and repeatable, but instead depend on evolving circumstances and ad hoc decisions by knowledge workers regarding a particular situation, a case (see Davenport 1994 and 2005; and Van der Aalst 2005). Applications of Case management include licensing and permitting in government, application and claim processing in insurance, patient care and medical diagnosis in healthcare, mortgage processing in banking, problem resolution in call centers, sales and operations planning, invoice discrepancy handling, maintenance and repair of machines and equipment, and engineering of made-to-order products.