What is represented by a dashed line with an open arrowhead in BPMN?

In Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), a dashed line with an open arrowhead symbolizes a Message Flow. This type of flow is specifically used to indicate the flow of messages between different entities, such as processes or tasks, that communicate with each other.

Message Flows are critical for depicting interactions and data exchanges that occur across different pools, which represent different participants or organizations in a BPMN diagram. The open arrowhead clearly indicates the direction in which the communication occurs, ensuring that viewers can easily understand which party is sending and which is receiving the message.

In the context of BPMN, other types of flows have distinct representations. For instance, associations are typically shown as dashed lines without arrows and are used to connect artifacts to elements in the model. Sequence Flows are solid lines with filled arrowheads that indicate the order of activities within the same process. Additionally, "Event Flow" is not a recognized concept in BPMN; the terminology primarily revolves around different types of flows, including Message Flow, Sequence Flow, and Associations. Thus, the identification of a dashed line with an open arrowhead as a Message Flow is accurate and aligns with BPMN conventions.