I have posted up details on this - with a script here:
http://ironclaws.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/jbpm-5-3-tomcat-7-mysql-ant-script/
The key issues with deploying jbpm to Tomcat - which are not strictly JBoss / JBPM specific are:
i) Configuring of the JTA / JNDI:
The following resources are worth looking at:
http://codepitbull.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/tomcat-7-with-full-jta/
http://docs.codehaus.org/display/BTM/Tomcat
ii) Installation of Bitronix Transaction Manager
http://www.bitronix.be/Btm/Tomcat55Howto
- Particularly where jta-1.1.jar / geronimo etc. should be located on Tomcat.
iii) Questions relating to how to create database on startup: Definitely check the JDBC driver documentation.
eg. For MySQL: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/connector-j-reference-configuration-properties.html
iv) When confronted with jars not loading due to servlet validation errors - consider patching the jar by removing the enclosed javax.servlet.
This is particularly useful with the Google gwt-user jars - of which at present (up to vs. 2.4) none will load correctly on Tomcat.