Patchley converts conversations, workshop photos, and audio recordings into BPMN 2.0 compliant process diagrams. The AI joins meetings as a silent participant, captures process flows in real time, and produces import-ready XML files compatible with standard BPM platforms.
The Problem Patchley Solves
Process documentation traditionally follows a slow pattern: analysts sit through workshops taking notes, spend days translating those notes into diagrams, then circulate drafts for review. Each step introduces delays and interpretation errors. By the time a process map reaches sign-off, the original workshop context has faded and stakeholders have moved on.
Patchley (patchley.com) collapses this into a single session. The AI captures, structures, and models the process as the conversation unfolds, producing a first diagram within 5 minutes of session start. The company claims a 10x speedup over traditional post-workshop modeling and an 85% reduction in analyst hours per process reviewed.
Four Input Modes
| Mode | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Live workshops | AI joins as a silent participant, captures real-time | In-person process discovery sessions |
| Interviews | Structured discovery, answers mapped to process data | One-on-one stakeholder interviews |
| Virtual meetings | Works over any video platform | Remote teams |
| Solo upload | Upload notes, recordings, photos, or sketches | Individual knowledge capture |
Each mode produces the same output: a BPMN 2.0 diagram with full traceability back to the source input.
Photo and Sketch Conversion
Workshop outcomes often exist only as whiteboard photos or hand-drawn sketches. Patchley converts these into structured, editable BPMN models. Users upload the image, and the AI identifies process steps, decision points, actors, and flow connections, then maps them to standard BPMN notation.
The tool also creates click guides from voice descriptions and screenshots — useful for building onboarding instructions, support runbooks, or recurring task documentation.
Automated Analysis and BRD Generation
Beyond diagram generation, Patchley runs automated analysis on the captured process:
- Bottleneck detection: Identifies steps where delays accumulate
- Gap analysis: Flags missing steps, undefined actors, or incomplete flows
- Compliance risks: Surfaces potential regulatory issues in the process
- BRD output: Generates a complete Business Requirements Document with acceptance criteria and a full traceability matrix, ready for sign-off within one day of the workshop
Every decision in the diagram traces back to the session where it was made, providing a structured audit trail.
Export and Platform Compatibility
Diagrams export as BPMN 2.0 XML files, compatible with Signavio, Camunda, Bizagi, Flowable, and ARIS. PNG and PDF exports are available for sharing static documentation. The XML output is import-ready — no manual redrawing or format conversion required.
Subscription Options
The free tier allows generation without login. Paid plans start at $15/month for continued access and advanced features. The platform is usable without creating an account for initial evaluation.
Trade-offs to Consider
The AI’s accuracy decreases for highly complex processes with many parallel branches and interconnected decisions — detail can be lost in translation when a process narrative is ambiguous or extremely long. The tool works best when stakeholders describe processes clearly and sequentially. It isn’t a replacement for human judgment in process design — it accelerates documentation and analysis, but the resulting diagrams still require expert review before deployment.
Visit patchley | BPMN AI Generator — https://www.patchley.com/