Activiti - Continue execution without completing a subprocess

Question

We are using the Activiti workflow engine and we want to know if is it possible to continue a process execution if a subprocess is not completed.

For example, we have a subprocess A and a subprocess B like this, A->B. A has two end nodes, one is executed and the other is waiting for a user task to be completed. So i guess the subprocess A is not completed, but we want that the execution continues and starts B anyway.

The thing is that we are looking for the minimal impact solution, cause we have a huge workflow already on production, were we want to add subprocess's.

What do you guys recommend in such scenario ? How process/execution/tasks variables works in this scenario ?

Edit: We are trying to get to work this test case now like Greg Harley - BP3 suggested, but intermediate catch event is never called.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<definitions xmlns="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:activiti="http://activiti.org/bpmn" xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI" xmlns:omgdc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC" xmlns:omgdi="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DI" typeLanguage="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" expressionLanguage="http://www.w3.org/1999/XPath" targetNamespace="http://www.activiti.org/test">
<signal id="alertSignal" name="alert" />
  <process id="myProcess" name="myProcess" isExecutable="true">
    <subProcess id="subprocess1" name="Sub Process">
      <startEvent id="startevent2" name="Start"></startEvent>
      <endEvent id="endevent1" name="End"></endEvent>
      <userTask id="verifico-id-transitorio-paciente" name="verifico-id-transitorio-paciente">
        <extensionElements>
          <activiti:taskListener event="create" expression="#{INTERNA_LOGICA_TRAMITE.setearPermisoTarea(task)}"></activiti:taskListener>
          <activiti:taskListener event="create" expression="#{INTERNA_LOGICA_TRAMITE.setearPermisoDependencia(task)}"></activiti:taskListener>
        </extensionElements>
      </userTask>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow1" sourceRef="startevent2" targetRef="verifico-id-transitorio-paciente"></sequenceFlow>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow2" sourceRef="verifico-id-transitorio-paciente" targetRef="parallelgateway1"></sequenceFlow>
      <parallelGateway id="parallelgateway1" name="Parallel Gateway"></parallelGateway>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow10" sourceRef="parallelgateway1" targetRef="ingreso-formulario-ConMed"></sequenceFlow>
      <intermediateThrowEvent id="signalintermediatethrowevent1" name="SignalThrowEvent">
        <signalEventDefinition signalRef="alertSignal"></signalEventDefinition>
      </intermediateThrowEvent>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow11" sourceRef="parallelgateway1" targetRef="signalintermediatethrowevent1"></sequenceFlow>
      <userTask id="ingreso-formulario-ConMed" name="ingreso-formulario-ConMed">
        <extensionElements>
          <activiti:taskListener event="create" expression="#{INTERNA_LOGICA_TRAMITE.setearPermisoTarea(task)}"></activiti:taskListener>
          <activiti:taskListener event="create" expression="#{INTERNA_LOGICA_TRAMITE.setearPermisoDependencia(task)}"></activiti:taskListener>
        </extensionElements>
      </userTask>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow13" sourceRef="ingreso-formulario-ConMed" targetRef="endevent1"></sequenceFlow>
    </subProcess>
    <subProcess id="subprocess2" name="Sub Process">
      <startEvent id="startevent3" name="Start"></startEvent>
      <endEvent id="endevent2" name="End"></endEvent>
      <userTask id="ingreso-formulario-Con" name="ingreso-formulario-Con">
        <extensionElements>
          <activiti:taskListener event="create" expression="#{INTERNA_LOGICA_TRAMITE.setearPermisoTarea(task)}"></activiti:taskListener>
          <activiti:taskListener event="create" expression="#{INTERNA_LOGICA_TRAMITE.setearPermisoDependencia(task)}"></activiti:taskListener>
        </extensionElements>
      </userTask>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow5" sourceRef="startevent3" targetRef="ingreso-formulario-Con"></sequenceFlow>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow6" sourceRef="ingreso-formulario-Con" targetRef="endevent2"></sequenceFlow>
    </subProcess>
    <startEvent id="startevent1" name="Start"></startEvent>
    <subProcess id="subprocess3" name="Sub Process">
      <userTask id="modifico-formulario-ConMed" name="modifico-formulario-ConMed">
        <extensionElements>
        </extensionElements>
      </userTask>
      <startEvent id="startevent4" name="Start"></startEvent>
      <endEvent id="endevent3" name="End"></endEvent>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow8" sourceRef="startevent4" targetRef="modifico-formulario-ConMed"></sequenceFlow>
      <sequenceFlow id="flow9" sourceRef="modifico-formulario-ConMed" targetRef="endevent3"></sequenceFlow>
    </subProcess>
    <sequenceFlow id="flow3" sourceRef="startevent1" targetRef="subprocess1"></sequenceFlow>
    <sequenceFlow id="flow4" sourceRef="subprocess1" targetRef="subprocess2"></sequenceFlow>
    <endEvent id="endevent4" name="End"></endEvent>
    <sequenceFlow id="flow7" sourceRef="subprocess2" targetRef="endevent4"></sequenceFlow>
    <startEvent id="signalstartevent1" name="Signal start">
      <signalEventDefinition signalRef="alertSignal"></signalEventDefinition>
    </startEvent>
    <sequenceFlow id="flow14" sourceRef="signalstartevent1" targetRef="subprocess3"></sequenceFlow>
  </process>
</definitions>

Answer 1

Not sure if this is what you are after, but the subprocess containing "the Dogs" task will only be called after User Task 2 completes. In the example, User Task 2 is a, well, a user task, but it can just as easily be a Service or Script task. This way, Sub process 2 (containing The Dogs) runs as soon as the pre-requisites are complete irrespective of whether User Task 1 is complete.

Let me know if I have n=missed your specific requirements. Greg