diff --git a/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/delegate/DelegateExecution.java b/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/delegate/DelegateExecution.java
index d740ded44f6ec076e4220f025c03075320bd997e..d28d4b8d25bde695e4dfabfdaf384348ff8036d3 100644
--- a/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/delegate/DelegateExecution.java
+++ b/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/delegate/DelegateExecution.java
@@ -72,4 +72,10 @@ public interface DelegateExecution extends VariableScope {
    * All Activiti services can be accessed through this interface.
    */
   EngineServices getEngineServices();
+  
+  /**
+   * Update process business key if not null.
+   * Returns null if not updated
+   */
+  String updateProcessBusinessKey(String bzKey);
 }
diff --git a/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/history/HistoryManager.java b/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/history/HistoryManager.java
index 762b1a57dcfce55e31d34fc5741dacb11cdd8a1f..cf8fe18dd6bcca676424e2f397bcc05c4c9a76bb 100644
--- a/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/history/HistoryManager.java
+++ b/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/history/HistoryManager.java
@@ -659,4 +659,13 @@ public class HistoryManager extends AbstractManager {
       getHistoricIdentityLinkEntityManager().deleteHistoricIdentityLink(id);
     }
   }
+  
+  public void updateProcessBusinessKeyInHistory(ExecutionEntity processInstance) {
+    if(log.isDebugEnabled()) {
+      log.debug("updateProcessBusinessKeyInHistory : {}", processInstance.getId());
+    }
+    HistoricProcessInstanceEntity historicProcessInstance = getDbSqlSession().selectById(HistoricProcessInstanceEntity.class, processInstance.getId());
+    historicProcessInstance.setBusinessKey(processInstance.getProcessBusinessKey());
+    getDbSqlSession().update(historicProcessInstance);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/persistence/entity/ExecutionEntity.java b/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/persistence/entity/ExecutionEntity.java
index 2afb0ffd8acfc698cb6b9cff433f1bf6130777b6..629bca8d4dbb1e9bf134ea6b9af878ab76e63da1 100644
--- a/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/persistence/entity/ExecutionEntity.java
+++ b/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/persistence/entity/ExecutionEntity.java
@@ -1398,4 +1398,13 @@ public class ExecutionEntity extends VariableScopeImpl implements ActivityExecut
   public void setQueryVariables(List<VariableInstanceEntity> queryVariables) {
     this.queryVariables = queryVariables;
   }
+  
+  public String updateProcessBusinessKey(String bzKey) {
+    if (isProcessInstanceType() && businessKey == null && bzKey != null) {
+      setBusinessKey(bzKey);
+      Context.getCommandContext().getHistoryManager().updateProcessBusinessKeyInHistory(this);
+      return bzKey;
+    }
+    return null;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/pvm/runtime/ExecutionImpl.java b/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/pvm/runtime/ExecutionImpl.java
index b753b911f2c39681a23b17a64d9c338fb7b7bd19..a489b356007ffa6a78219a3bf235369663c39e14 100644
--- a/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/pvm/runtime/ExecutionImpl.java
+++ b/modules/activiti-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/pvm/runtime/ExecutionImpl.java
@@ -869,4 +869,8 @@ public class ExecutionImpl implements
   public void disposeStartingExecution() {
     startingExecution = null;
   }
+  
+  public String updateProcessBusinessKey(String bzKey) {
+    return getProcessInstance().updateProcessBusinessKey(bzKey);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/modules/activiti-engine/src/test/java/org/activiti/engine/test/api/runtime/ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest.java b/modules/activiti-engine/src/test/java/org/activiti/engine/test/api/runtime/ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ea8e1a4ed199d31a379de313ba777a8c76e60dc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/activiti-engine/src/test/java/org/activiti/engine/test/api/runtime/ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/* Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.activiti.engine.test.api.runtime;
+
+import org.activiti.engine.delegate.DelegateExecution;
+import org.activiti.engine.delegate.ExecutionListener;
+import org.activiti.engine.history.HistoricProcessInstance;
+import org.activiti.engine.impl.test.PluggableActivitiTestCase;
+import org.activiti.engine.repository.ProcessDefinition;
+import org.activiti.engine.runtime.ProcessInstance;
+import org.activiti.engine.test.Deployment;
+
+public class ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest extends PluggableActivitiTestCase {
+
+  @Deployment
+  public void testProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKey() {
+
+    ProcessDefinition processDefinition = repositoryService.createProcessDefinitionQuery().singleResult();
+    runtimeService.startProcessInstanceByKey(processDefinition.getKey());
+
+    ProcessInstance processInstance = runtimeService.createProcessInstanceQuery().singleResult();
+    assertEquals("bzKey", processInstance.getBusinessKey());
+
+    HistoricProcessInstance historicProcessInstance = historyService.createHistoricProcessInstanceQuery().singleResult();
+    assertEquals("bzKey", historicProcessInstance.getBusinessKey());
+
+  }
+
+  public static class UpdateBusinessKeyExecutionListener implements ExecutionListener {
+    public void notify(DelegateExecution delegateExecution) {
+      delegateExecution.updateProcessBusinessKey("bzKey");
+    }
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/modules/activiti-engine/src/test/resources/org/activiti/engine/test/api/runtime/ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest.testProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKey.bpmn20.xml b/modules/activiti-engine/src/test/resources/org/activiti/engine/test/api/runtime/ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest.testProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKey.bpmn20.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c58d513aca7e3cd36f50113c315c9640406f749d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/activiti-engine/src/test/resources/org/activiti/engine/test/api/runtime/ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest.testProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKey.bpmn20.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<definitions id="taskListenerExample"
+	xmlns="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:activiti="http://activiti.org/bpmn"
+	targetNamespace="Examples">
+
+	<process id="ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest.testProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKey" name="Update business key Example">
+		<extensionElements>
+			<activiti:executionListener event="start"
+				class="org.activiti.engine.test.api.runtime.ProcessInstanceUpdateBusinessKeyTest$UpdateBusinessKeyExecutionListener" />
+		</extensionElements>
+
+		<startEvent id="theStart" />
+
+		<sequenceFlow id="flow1" sourceRef="theStart" targetRef="task1" />
+
+		<userTask id="task1" activiti:assignee="kermit"/>
+
+		<sequenceFlow id="flow2" sourceRef="task1" targetRef="task2" />
+
+		<userTask id="task2" />
+
+		<sequenceFlow id="flow3" sourceRef="task2" targetRef="theEnd" />
+
+		<endEvent id="theEnd" />
+
+	</process>
+
+</definitions>
diff --git a/modules/activiti-explorer/src/main/java/org/activiti/explorer/ui/process/MyProcessInstancesListQuery.java b/modules/activiti-explorer/src/main/java/org/activiti/explorer/ui/process/MyProcessInstancesListQuery.java
index 89fd6bddd7f9cc3a9e0960ff47a6e211004dd6aa..dfc92d914dee552d051a1c4279020d27193c8748 100644
--- a/modules/activiti-explorer/src/main/java/org/activiti/explorer/ui/process/MyProcessInstancesListQuery.java
+++ b/modules/activiti-explorer/src/main/java/org/activiti/explorer/ui/process/MyProcessInstancesListQuery.java
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ public class MyProcessInstancesListQuery extends AbstractLazyLoadingQuery {
 
     ProcessDefinition processDefinition = getProcessDefinition(processInstance.getProcessDefinitionId());
     
-    String itemName = getProcessDisplayName(processDefinition) + " (" + processInstance.getId() + ")";
+    String itemName = getProcessDisplayName(processDefinition) + " (" + processInstance.getId() + ")"
+      + (processInstance.getBusinessKey() != null? processInstance.getBusinessKey() : "");
     item.addItemProperty("name", new ObjectProperty<String>(itemName, String.class));
     return item;
   }