In Kuika’s Process Automation module, events and gateways are the fundamental building blocks used to trigger business processes, redirect them based on specific conditions, and terminate them at the right moment. These elements are accessed in the left-hand toolbar under two separate groups: Events and Gateways.

A. Events

Events represent the points where a workflow begins, ends, or waits for a specific period of time.

1. Start Event

This event defines the starting point of the workflow. It is the first step that triggers the process; it can be triggered by a user action, a system event, or a timer. For the workflow to function correctly, there should generally be only one starting point.

Usage Scenario: The “Customer Order Received” event starts the workflow. When a process is created (using “Create a Blank”), the diagram automatically begins with a Start Event.

2. End Event

This indicates the point at which the workflow is completed and ends. The process terminates, and results are recorded or notifications are sent as needed.

Usage Scenario: The “Order Completed” step terminates the workflow. A diagram must contain at least one Start Event and one End Event; an End Event can be added directly to a selected step using the Appended End Event icon in the contextual toolbar.

3. Timer Event

A timer that triggers the workflow at the end of a specified duration or at specific intervals. The Time Duration specifies the waiting period, and the Is Interrupting option determines whether the main flow is paused during the wait.

Usage Scenario: The “Wait for Payment” step waits for 3 days; at the end of this period, the “Send Payment Reminder” step is automatically triggered. A Timer Event can be added to a Task or User Task as a Timer Boundary Event to make the step recur periodically (Recurring Step), or it can be used as a Timer Intermediate Event at an independent point in the process to pause the process for a specific duration.

B. Gateways (Decision Points)

Gateways are decision points—not events—that determine which direction the workflow will take under specific conditions.

4. Exclusive Gateway

When there are multiple path options in the workflow, this ensures that only a single path—linked to one of the defined conditions—is executed if that condition is met.

Usage Scenario: In an approval process, only one of the options—“Approved” or ‘Rejected’—is processed. This decision point can be added after the selected element using the Create Exclusive Gateway icon on the contextual toolbar. One of the exits must be marked as the default path using “Will execute otherwise”.

5. Parallel Gateway

Enables the parallel initiation (split) of multiple tasks that must be executed simultaneously in a workflow, or the merging (join) of parallel paths. It is not condition-dependent—all output paths are triggered simultaneously.

Usage Scenario: After an order is approved, the “Packaging” and “Invoice Preparation” steps are initiated simultaneously.

6. Inclusive Gateway

Allows the process to branch in parallel when multiple conditions can be met simultaneously. Unlike the Exclusive Gateway, if more than one condition is true at the same time, all of these paths are executed simultaneously.

Use Case:

• If both “Return Request” and “Invoice Update” are checked on an order form, both processes run simultaneously.
• Obtaining both financial and operational approval within the same process in multi-stage control mechanisms.

Independent conditions are defined for each exit path via the Symbol Picker; in the Inclusive Gateway, at least one path must be designated as “Will execute otherwise” so that the process continues without interruption if none of the defined conditions are met.