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SIMPROCESS User`s Manual Part A

1. IP Address localhost Port 1024 65535 26100 Group Player Name Synchronize to Nearest Hours c 5 o 7 Run Settings I Cost Periods Debug Traces Expression Options Time Server Remote Transfer Random Numbers Co v Use Time Server nep j IP Address defaults to localhost which indicates that the TimeServer will be running on the same system as SIMPROCESS Ifthe TimeServer will be running on a different system then the IP address or host name of that system should be entered Port can be between 1024 and 65535 inclusive and defaults to 26100 Group is the name of the TimeServer group that this model will join Groups are defined as part of the TimeServer configuration See SIMPROCESS TimeServer pdf inthe timeserver directory for more information Player Name is the name by which the simulation will be known to the TimeServer Group This name cannot be duplicated within a Group In the example below at the start of the simulation the model will join the group CallCenter as CallCenter 1 ot oa Player Name CallCenter 1 Synchronize to Nearest Hours Run Settings Cost Periods I Debug Traces Expression Options Time Server Remote Transfer Random Numbers v Use Time Server IP Address localhost Port 1024 65535 26100 Group CallCenter E During
2. Comment Scroll through the list to find the default definition for Triangular distributions It reads Tri 0 0 5 0 10 0 Select the distribution 3 Click on the box to the right of the Value field Fill in the following values Minimum of 15 Mode of 30 and a Maximum of 60 r Distribution betis Minimum Mode Maximum Stream 4 Click on View to see what the curve looks like 5 Click on OK to accept the definition SIMPROCESS Users Manual 93 Delay Activity 6 Select Minutes from the Units field See Chapter 3 Statistical Modeling Constructs beginning on page 114 to learn more about these parameters and the topic of statistical distributions SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 94 Dispose Activity Dispose Activity A Dispose Activity disposes of Entities when they are no longer needed in the simulation The Dispose marks the end of an Entity s cycle time for the purpose of statistic collection e g cycle times and counts Dispose Activity Properties Maximum Entity Count None _ Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics E Comment Global Attributes Entity Entity Type Resource Model gt Dispose Properties gt General Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts Name Dispose7 V Show Name T Use Text Block Cancel
3. i A Process Properties General Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts OK He o Canel Recruitment Help Process New Entity Font Attributes Font Name Serif K New Resource 5 Global Attributes Size 14 X Entity Color H black X Entity Type M Bold Resource Italic Model V Show Text J Add TextLabel Properties Comment L Pi The number displays in line one and will precede any text entered in Line 1 Text The General tab of the Process properties dialog contains the Use Text Block checkbox When selected the contents of the Text Block are used as the name of the Process The Process number even when displayed is not a part of the Text Block properties so it will not be a part of the Process name The example below shows the Human Resources demonstration model with Process numbering displayed In this example Line 1 Text was empty for each Process so the number is the only item displayed in the line 1 location SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 57 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus f SIMPROCESS Professional File Edit Layout View Create Define Simulate Report Experiment Tools Window Help Ove Ss ymaxn Bete ONT veG Oer 8 w B 2 WTS sab for song PAN NEN A ee 2 gt i l gt SRF Initiated Resume Not Picked by Mgr iai i 2 os armeni ea gases eal 8 Opts Out
4. Cost per Unit loo Cost per Time Unit 150 Metadata Time Unit l Hours Fixed Cost Per Unit 100 0 per Weekly Currency M Collect Cost Statistics Comment The box at the top shows the Variable Costs and the box below shows the Fixed Cost Below is the Cost tab for a consumable Resource SIMPROCESS Users Manual 224 How to Use ABC in SIMPROCESS J Resource Properties General Cost Downtime Attributes Expressions Variable Costs Cancel Usage Cost per Entity 10 0 X Help Cost per Unit 0 0 v Document Currency USD US Dollar v Metadata v Collect Cost Statistics Comment E d The check box atthe bottom left hand corner ofthe dialog Collect Cost Statistics is turned on by default whenever cost information is entered Leave this selected Otherwise cost statistics will not be gathered Variable Costs Three types of variable costs can be specified for non consumable Resources Usage Cost per Entity This cost is applied to each Entity that is processed by the Resource It is used to represent flat fee charging schemes The same cost is assigned regard less of the amount of the Resource s units that is used or the duration of the Activity Example Often administrative charges or service call charges are based on this kind of charging scheme e Cost Per Unit This cost is appl
5. Standard Report e ABC reports for each Resource with cost defined in the model The ABC reports have three sections that are broken down by cost period and total cost These sections are Resource by Entity Resource by Activity and Activity by Entity If there are Resources from OrgModels that have costs assigned there are two additional sections Org Node by Resource and Org Node Cumulative Costs See the SIMPROCESS OrgModel Manual for more information on OrgModels OrgNodes and Resources See Chapter 7 Activity Based Costing beginning on page 219 for more detail on Activity Based Costing On the Report menu Define Global Statistics Collection brings up a dialog that sets global statistics options As stated above Collect Entity Statistics and Collect Resource Statistics are selected The results of the selection options are described in the following sections The Output Time Units field sets the units for cycle time statistics in the Standard Report Generate Standard Report after run causes the Standard Report to be generated automatically after a simulation run This is most useful when using the Experiment Manager or optimization OptQuest for SIMPROCESS Note that Standard Reports generated automatically are not accessible from within SIMPROCESS The file which is located in the model s directory must be opened separately le al Statistics Collection Clear Individual Activity Statistics Requests
6. m Units of Resource Required ees Name Service Rep ox Units 1 0 Cancel L Any existing resources will be listed under the Requirements heading Highlightthe resource allocation to be modified and press Edit Units may be a constant or a distribution Resource requirements can also be set by using the Evi function with User defined Attributes See Varying Resource Units If the units requested are larger than the defined capacity of the Resource and the Resource is not a consumable Resource a runtime error will occur However if the Resource is a consumable Resource the Entity will remain in the wait for Resource queue Entities remain in the wait for Resource queue until the consumable Resource has been replenished to a level at or above the required allocation Remove deletes the requirement highlighted in the Requirements box Once a list of Resources has been chosen for the activity the combination of Resources in the Requires area may be specified Requires defines the combination of Resources required to perform this activity e Any One Member any one of the Resources listed is sufficient to perform the task AllMembers all members inthe Requirements list areneeded in order for this activity to Process an Entity SIMPROCESS does not obtain any member until all the required Resources are available Reserve As Available all listed Resources are required and will be reserved as they become
7. 45 Cancel Cancel People Soft HR Relative Size he Current Unassigned Lane Width Maximum Percentage 55 Clear Widths The image below shows the application of the border properties Horizontal As Is Process for Staffing SIMPROCESS Users Manual 50 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus When OK is selected on the Swimlane Properties dialog the swimlanes are drawn on the model layout Note that swimlane borders or titles may not be edited by clicking on the layout All edits must be done from the Swimlane Properties dialog 4 SIMPROCESS gt File Edit Layout View Create Define Simulate Report Experiment Tools Window Help Dees YhOxn BF 44 GE Hv EO Oz w E m o gt p m Set Traversal Order Set Traversal Order is used to set the order in which Processes on the current layout will be traversed when printing or exporting a model The traversal order can be set for any layout which has two or more Processes Since printing or exporting a model requires traversing the whole model the traversal order of each layout governs the order of the printing or exporting The default traversal order for a layout is the order in which Processes were added to the layout However the default order of Processes on a layout may not be the logical order In other words it may make more sense for layouts to be
8. E 4 Selecting an item will cause the Edit button to activate The properties of the item can be edited by SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 39 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus clicking the Edit button or by double clicking an item The Go To button will activate if the item selected is a Process or Activity Selecting Go To will take you to the level of the model where that item is located Metadata Search Metadata Search is a quick way of searching for the existence of metadata or searching for specific metadata See Entering Metadata for Metadata Search instructions Properties Selecting Edit Properties will bring up the Properties dialog box for the selected item This has the same effect as double clicking on it Use this menu item most often when you want to edit Hierarchical Processes since double clicking on them will show their internal structure and not bring up their dialog box Layout Menu Size Pools Swimianes Set Traversal Order BackgroundColor gt Align Distribute Distribute Pads Group Ungroup Bring To Front Send To Back Snap To Grid vy GridLines Grid Spacing Grid Color Size Size presents a dialog that allows you to specify the size in pixels used in the drawing of model layouts The layout is the area on the screen where models are built and displayed The default setting is a width of 925 and height of 575 The size can be changed for the
9. E PEREP Off Show Counts On Warning Animation events files can be very large When recording counts and movement of entities animation events for every level of the model must be recorded Recording all that information will create very large files if recording is done for the whole simulation The larger the model is the larger the animation event file will be Recording the movement of entities has the biggest impact Recording only dynamic label events and or Activity count events typically produces much smaller files Animation Playback An animation event file of an animation that has been recorded must be opened for playback This is done using the Open File button on the post simulation animation toolbar Important Make sure the animation event file opened was recorded from the currently active model The file browser will automatically open to the directory of the model If the model has changed since the animation event file was created delete the previous animation event files and record again Play Once a file has been opened the Play and Fast Forward buttons activate Pressing Play will start the playback from the beginning of the animation event file Fast Forward Pressing Fast Forward brings up a dialog where an amount of time to skip is entered Note that the value entered must correspond to the Simulation Time Units set in the Run Settings See Setting the Simulation Time Unit on page 108 That time unit will d
10. Police Data Received Bra Receive from Police Dept Parking E E Photo Radar gt Transfer836 _ F pi T sn a E if is Uses Resources Has Expressions Find Activity Process T Named Ignore Case J ortype Assemble aj With Icon ake Assemble v Icon Set Default Find Activity Expand All Collapse All All the functions of the dialog are the same as the Activity Browser dialog Select the receiving Transfer Activity The Find Activity Process section of the dialog can be used to search for Transfer activities The activity selected when Close is clicked must bea Transfer Activity with Receive and Local selected An error will occur if the activity selected is not a Transfer activity with Receive and Local selected Click Cancel to not make a selection or to keep the current selection Although the selection of Send or Receive and Local or Remote cannot be changed once selected the Connection can be changed once set Local Receive Transfer The Connection button associated with the Receive Local option displays a list of the Send Transfer Activities routing entities to that Receive Transfer Activity No editing of the connections is allowed The dialog is for informational purposes only r Send Transfer Connections N Send to Police Data Close SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual Entity Control Activities Remote
11. Update Database The Join Activity icon has one input Pad and two output Pads The upper output Pad is named Join after reuniting with their family the original Entity exits through this Pad The lower Pad is named NoMatch Entities that are not members of the Join family leave through this Pad An Entity that is not a member of the Rush Order family that enters the Join Activity will pass through the Join Activity and exit through the NoMatch Pad Note that no processing time will apply even if a delay duration is specified SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 178 Entity Control Activities 7 Join Properties General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts Name Join4 v Show Name Use Text Block Cancel Hel Icon Bi Join x Ea e Icon Set Default y New Entity NewResource Family Name Z Global Attributes Batch Family Members Remember Family Entity All Family Members Required Entity Type Resource Duration Model Value None X Units Hours hd Collect Activity Statistics _ Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment x Pi Dialog Field Definitions Family Name identifies the Entity family to be joined The pull down list for Family Name contains the names ofall families that have been defined in the model Family names do not have to be unique in Join Activities i e two Join Activities could use the same family name This would b
12. X Axis Type Y Axis Label Number of Entities Standard Axis Simulation Time Unit Hours Date Axis Label Format Date v Hide Plot at Simulation Start _ Display Plot on Remote Server Remote Server URL Legend Resource es m gt Model Attribute Time Stamp 2 Software Sales Call Number In System t Hardware Sales Call Number In System Z Sales Process Number Entities In Proces Remove Remove All Set Plot Group Select Plot Values Entity Resource Time Stamp Model Attribute peso Canes Set Legends Reset Legends Remove Plot Group C sman a SIMPROCESS User s Manual 274 Custom Plots i gt SIMPROCESS Real Time Graph oc j So Eile Edit Special Bm cad Software Sales Call Hardware Sales Call Sales Process Number Entities In Process Sales Calls In System N a 0 Number of Entities 1 i 1 1 1 i 0 5 10 15 20 25 Time In Hours Removing Values From Custom Plots Removing values from a custom plot is accomplished from the Custom Plot Properties dialog There are two buttons for removing values Remove and Remove All The Remove All button clears the plot of all values The Remove button clears the values that have been selected More than one value can be selected by holding down the Control key when selecting Setting and Removi
13. 10 X eenn Entity Color Eal Black z Entity Type Bold Resource Italic Model V Show Text Comment 2 Fill in the text Press Return at the end of a line to create a new line of text The text will not automatically wrap when displayed thus the text can extend past the border of the icon Also there is no limit to the number of lines of text however three lines of text are optimal as the text may display above and below the icon if more than three lines of text are entered Text beyond the horizontal or vertical bounds of the icon can be adjusted by removing text changing Font Attributes resizing the icon or some combination of all three Set the desired Font Attributes 4 Make sure the Show Text box is checked The text entered is not displayed in the model unless this box is checked 5 Click on OK Note The Text Block is best used with blank box icons Icons with a picture on them may not show the Text Block properly Process properties include an additional option on the Text Block tab The Add Text Label check box places a label that contains the text of the Text Block inside each alternative of the Process SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 85 Adding and Editing Activities pe Process Properties gt w General Attributes Expressions EventLogs Text Block Documentation Counts _ Text Wait for Available Technician Font Attributes Font Name Serif
14. 3 ig tae Positions Filled ey ba Positions Still Open a o ta same cin Tie D Staffing Opportunity Position Filled sor People Soft HR eae see rae t r Resumes Not Picked by Mgr Disapproved Not Frwded Opts Out Not Qlfd Resumes Received B a Tol k Cee A SRF Disapproved Positions Filled 2 a Positions Still Open Pos Gabo x ee satin eien b a e Process res fa Staffing Opportunity es E Resume Not Picked by Mer Descending into Process 2 Recruitment Process in As Is Process for Staffing swimlane displays the number preceding the text in the first line of the Text Label Note that the Processes within Recruitment Process are numbered with the number 2 as the first digit SIMPROCESS Professional File Edit Layout View Create Define Simulate Report Experiment Tools Window Help OHges XeMxn BFA GH b 4 Post amp Distribute SRF Lec eeu vyeGOr 4 2 Recruitment Process Resumes Not Picked by Mgr 2 5 Interview Process New Hire 2 2 Screen Applicant Resumes 4 Synchronizd Positions amp People Hiring I lt MW m SIMPROCESS User s Manual 58 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Seeds is used for viewing the random number stream seeds Activities Hide hides the selected Activity The Activity
15. Adjust the precise CLASSPATH value as needed based on where the copy of SPRemote jar is located and the current working directory Once the RMI Registry program is started SPPlotServer can then be started When using localhost enter this command from the SIMPROCESS directory on the system where SIMPROCESS is installed jre bin java classpath SPSYSTEM SPRemote jar SPSYSTEM plot jar com caci remote SPPlotServer Alternatively the PlotServ batch or script file in the SPUser SampleFiles directory can be run Simply copy the appropriate file to the SIMPROCESS installation directory before running administrator privileges may be required SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 264 Real Time Plots Ifnot using localhost from the directory where SPRemote jar and plot jar are located enter this command jre bin java classpath SPRemote jar plot jar com caci remote SPPlotServer Use colons in the classpath for non Windows systems Once the Java RMI Registry and SPPlotServer have been started load and run the model Note that remote plots are not plotted locally Real time plots are created either locally or remotely but not both Remote real time plots cannot be hidden even if selected in the Real Time Plot Properties That is they will display as soon as simulation data is sent to the plot Also once a remote real time plot has been closed there is no way to reopen it since remote real time plots are not in the list of plots availabl
16. BRAE Hardware Sales Call Software Sales Call Sales Process The Reset Legends button resets the text and color of the legend to its default SIMPROCESS User s Manual 279 Expression Plots Expression Plots Real time Plots and Custom Plots once defined are updated automatically by SIMPROCESS Also these plots are reset at the beginning of each replication There is no way to control when the plots are updated or reset However plots can be created and controlled using the SIMPROCESS Expression Language See Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions for more information on Expressions Creating and controlling plots through the SIMPROCESS Expression Language allows plotting to be done across replications Also this capability allows replication summary statistics to be graphed There are five System Methods for plotting listed in SIMPROCESS System Methods CreatePlot AddPlotLegend ClearPlot DisplayPlot andPlotValue A discussion of these methods can be found in the section Creating and Controlling Plots With Expressions Note that the demonstration model Sp1itJoin spmthat is included with SIMPROCESS has an example of Expression Plots open model and view Define Model Expressions SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 280 Simulation Results File Simulation Results File The Simulation Results file is generated from the File menu Select File Export Simulation Results to op
17. Cancel Collect Entity Statistics Help Clear Individual Entity Statistics Requests Collect Resource Statistics Clear Individual Resource Statistics Requests E Collect Connector Statistics Clear Individual Connector Statistics Requests I Collect Resource by Activity Statistics Clear Individual Resource by Activity Statistics Requests Collect Resource by Shift Statistics Clear Individual Resource by Shift Statistics Requests Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Clear Individual Activity by Entity Statistics Requests Collect Connector by Entity Statistics Clear Individual Connector by Entity Statistics Requests Output Time Units Hours v E Generate Standard Report after run E E a Attributes are handled differently for the Standard Report The Standard Report check box on the Attribute Properties dialog must be selected for each attribute that needs to collect statistics The report will display either Time weighted or Observation based statistics depending on the option chosen Statistics can be kept for all types of attributes except Entity Instance Attributes Lastly if the value SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 244 Standard Report ofan attribute does not change during the simulation run its statistics will all be zeroes in the Standard Report See User Defined Attributes for more information on Attributes SIMPROCE
18. Database Input Source Properties Name Database Cancel Properties File Browse I m ora El Help Column ViewData SQL Query _ Execute query for each event End of Data Options Continue simulation with no data Continue simulation and repeat data Stop replication Stop simulation a The default Name can be replaced but the Name cannot contain special characters and must be unique across all Input Sources Distributions and Functions Properties File must contain the data base location connection information Properties File is the name of the properties file that contains the JDBC url and driver information and if necessary username and password The Properties File must be located in the model s directory See OpenDatabase for more information on Properties Files The Column field must contain the name of a column returned by SQL Query and SQL Query must contain the query that returns the input data The Properties File and Column fields can contain a Model Entity Type or Entity Attribute of type STRING that contains the appropriate informa tion Also the query can be parameterized by using Model Entity Type or Entity Attributes For example Select TIME VALUE From TimeTable can be changed to Select Model TableColumn From TimeTable In this example Model TableColumn isa STRING Model Attribute that contains the name of the column to read Since the Column field can be parame
19. Equals Starts With Ends With Contains E ignore Case gag Resource Eza Downtime Shift 29 Entity Attribute ee Entity Type Attribute QG srr smo 29 Resource Attribute ee Model Attribute T Background Text G Connector ddd X SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 37 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Search Items has nine check boxes Process or Activity Entity Type Resource Resource Downtime Resource Shift Global Attribute Background Text Connector or Any default The other items become available for selection when Any is deselected Model Search searches the names of the selected Search Items based on the options set in Search Criteria Enter the string to search for in the text field of Search Criteria then select how to compare the string entered with the names of the selected Search Items The options are Equals Starts With Ends With or Contains Select Ignore Case to perform a case insensitive search Once the Search Criteria has been set click the Find button to perform the search Search Results displays the items found The type ofeach item found Process or Activity Entity Type Resource Global Attribute Background Text or Connector is identified by an icon to the left of the name Process Activity or Entity Type items display a scaled down version of their assigned icons Resource Global Attribute Background Text or Connector display an icon based on t
20. Horizontal Vertical L Add Vendor Complete Document Add Lane Copy Lane When OK is selected the pools display in the model SIMPROCESS File Edit Layout View Create Define Simulate Report Experiment Tools Window Help ov s temxn wets oF veQOret i nB r Be 5 bi lb a i a i OTET eh ee eee gt Complete Document el u Vendor Document Vendor Document Response Enter Vendor Information Review Vendor Document J E Add Vendor Treasury a O Validate Vendor Information New Vendor Action Complete SIMPROCESS Users Manual 46 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Also the Validate Vendor Information subprocess in the Add Vendor spmdemonstration model has one pool with two lanes Swimlanes Swimlanes allows you to add swimlanes to the current layout The swimlanes dialog has two tabs Horizontal and Vertical On the left side ofeach tab is the list of swimlanes The right side has a miniature view of the current layout Both horizontal and vertical swimlanes can be on the same layout The example below shows a modified version of the demonstration model Human Resources spm Remove Lane Widths Click the Add button to add a swimlane This brings up a dialog which contains the name of the swimla
21. Left aligns the left sides of the selected objects Right aligns the right sides of the selected objects SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 53 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Center Vertical aligns the centers of the selected objects along a vertical line Center Horizontal aligns the centers of the selected objects along a horizontal line The screen shots below show the effect of using Align before and after aligning the horizontal centers Axa wits oer OveGOeetT fa LL 2 Se ee EPE ae Ll De Em Et tieg d Pyet s Distribute Circular Distribute distributes three or more selected objects so that they are equally spaced vertically horizontally or circularly SIMPROCESS User s Manual 54 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus The screen shots below show the results of using Distribute on some unequally spaced objects Before using Distribute 7 suncces neon a i aaa Reis y DORE YhOxva Bite Gt Dv a ORENT a p Ee Sess ey a z bl le Prees Praest Poss z _ eces fe Dv e QORET a Sas Distribute Pads Pads added to a Hierarchical Process can be spaced evenly
22. and Batch Hold For Condition Cycle Times Trace and Hold For Condition Cycle Times Histogram These charts show the time spent holding for a condition to be met Entities In Process Trace and Entities In Process Histogram These charts show the current number of Entities that are in the Process Process Cycle Times Trace and Process Cycle Times Histogram These charts show the time Entities spend processing Entities Traveling Trace and Entities Traveling Histogram These charts show the current number of Entities that are traversing Connectors Travel Times Trace and Travel Times Histogram These charts show the time Entities spend traversing Connectors Attribute Value Statistics The attribute value statistics must be specified in the dialogs where attributes themselves are defined If the attributes are defined while Entity types are being defined then the statistics must be selected where those attributes are defined fi pI Global Attribute Properties esl Name Totaltime OK Mode Real v Cancel Value 0 Help Array Dimension 0 Set Plot Properties Model Parameter F Do Not Reset Before Each Replication Comment Statistics Types Report Requests Observation Based Real Time Histogram Plot Time Weighted Real Time Trace Plot Real Time Meter Plot Real Time Thermometer Plot Standard Report SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 249 Custom Statistics Time Wei
23. csv Spreadsheet xls Sheet per Catego Open File m CEL x Browse Select Application L A File Name without path must be entered files are automatically saved to the model s directory Based on the selection of Comma Separated Value csv or Spreadsheet xIs the appropriate extension will be added to the File Name There are three options for Spreadsheet xIs Sheet per Replication Sheet per Component and Sheet per Category Sheet per Replication A separate sheet is created for each selected replication Sheet per Component A separate sheet is created for each selected component Sheet per Category A separate sheet is created for each statistic category The statistics categories are determined by the type of component selected therefore the sheets will correspond to the tabs displayed in the Results section At least one of these options must be selected if Spreadsheet xIs is selected The components for the Cost tab are the cost categories Resource By Entity Resource By Activity etc Only the Spreadsheet xls option is available if the cost categories Org Node By Resource and Org Node Cumulative Cost are available and either is selected Select Open File to have the file open by the application specified in Select Application once the save is complete An error will occur if the location of the application stored in SIMPROCESS is invalid If this happens select the B
24. gt aaa yas aaston men Complete Price Calculation Z P 4 Invoice Prc I Decide On Shipper 4 I Wait for Arran Complete Production Schec i Average Cycle Time E Total Time E i Selecting subsets ofa model for display in a Gantt chart can reduce some of these issues The bottom line though is Activity Gantt Charts can be quite useful but they must be used with care SIMPROCESS Us er 5s Manual 214 Post Simulation Animation Post Simulation Animation Animation is very useful in verifying and validating a model as well as communicating a model to management or customers Normally when turned on animation displays while a model is simulating which causes the simulation to slow significantly In addition only the animation for the current simulation time can be viewed In other words something in the past cannot be viewed again without restarting the simulation and waiting through the simulation to get to the point of interest Post simulation animation displays an animation from a simulation without the simulation running During a simulation the animation is recorded for playback Animations can be recorded without displaying the animation during a simulation Playback of animations that have been recorded can be paused fast forwarded and rewinded Note Due to the addition of Connector delays and concurrent animation in SIMPROCESS Version 4 2 any animations that were recorded in a
25. the Name field takes the name of the node and is disabled Deselect Assign OrgModel Node to remove the Org Node assignment m Name Municipal Court V Show Name Cancel Name Orientation i Horizontal Vertical Font Attributes Font Name Serif Size 12 Color E Black v Bold Italic x The Metadata button opens a dialog for entering metadata See Entering Metadata for a full discussion of entering SIMPROCESS metadata SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 48 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus As Is Process for Staffing Propertie As Is Process for Staffing V Show Name E Assign OrgModel Node Name Orientation Horizontal Vertical Font Attributes Font Name SansSerif Size 20 Color f Blue W Bold Adding a second swimlane causes a swimlane border to appear in the miniature view Adding a third swimlane would cause a second swimlane border to appear There is always one less border than swimlanes The borders are evenly spaced down or across for vertical swimlanes on the layout Horizontal As Is Process for Staffing People Soft HR Once there are at least two swimlanes defined the Move button and the two buttons below the miniature view activate The Move button allows the rearrangement of the order of swimlanes without having to
26. them Assign Assigns values to global Entity and Model Attributes and sets Entity priorities Synchronize Coordinates the release of various Entities Resource Related Unlike other SIMPROCESS Activities these Activities affect Resources not Entities Replenish Resource Adds capacity to consumable Resources Get Resource Obtains a Resource and holds on to it across several Processes and Activities Free Resource Releases Resources obtained by Get Resource Activities Resource related Activities are described in Chapter 5 Resource Modeling Constructs beginning on page 181 The Entity Related Activities are covered in this chapter SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 147 Entity Related Activities Entity Related Activities Activities that are used to coordinate grouping of Entities are addressed here The type of coordination to be done is specified at the Activity Entities are queued up in these Activities except for Unbatch and Split until the conditions are met This queueing time is reported as Hold for Condition in the reports This is reported separately from the Wait for Resource queueing time which can accumulate at any Activity for which a Resource requirement has been specified e Assemble Activity e Batch Activity e Unbatch Activity e Gate Activity e Synchronize Activity e Split Activity e Join Activity Assemble Activity The Assemble Activity is used to build several Entities into a si
27. 181 for instructions on defining Resource requirements for an Activity Specifying Delay Duration Value represents the amount of time required to perform an Activity This delay time can be expressed as either a constant value or a statistical distribution Time Units determines if the Duration entered is measured as nanoseconds microseconds milliseconds seconds minutes hours days weeks months or years Type the value of the delay duration directly in the field or select a value from a pull down list A Delay Activity might be defined to represent the task of processing an order This task takes an average of 30 minutes to perform though it may take as little as 15 minutes or as much as 1 hour SIMPROCESS Users Manual 92 Delay Activity As shown below a Triangular distribution is often used to represent the time required to complete a task 1 Click on the arrow to the right of the Value field to display a list of distributions Delay Properties General Resources Attributes Expressions EventLogs Text Block Documentation Counts OK Name Customer Service V Show Name T Use Text Block Cancel Icon at Delay lag __Help J Icon Set Default New Entity New Resource Global Attributes Duration Entity Value Nor 10 0 1 0 1 Entity Type units P8X45 50 00 1 0 SS Model _ Collect Activity Statistics _ Collect Activity by Entity Statistics
28. 400 Name Orientation Horizontal Vertical Font Attributes Font Name Serif Metadata x Error Lane size must between 50 and 400 Cx Note that if only one lane is added to a pool the size of the lane will match the Height of the pool or Width for vertical pools no matter what value is entered for Size The Add Vendor spm demonstration model has two lanes defined for the Add Vendor pool Name Procurement Name Treasury v Show Name Assign OrgModel Node Lane Size Maximum Size 200 Minimum Size 50 Size 200 Metadata Name Orientation Horizontal G Vertical Font Attributes Font Name Serif Size 18 Color L Brown v Show Name C Assign OrgModel Node Lane Size Maximum Size 200 Minimum Size 50 1200 _ Metadata Name Orientation Horizontai vertical Font Attributes Font Name Serif Size hs erom v SIMPROCESS User s Manual SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus When a lane is selected the Edit Lane and Remove Lane buttons enable The Add Lane and Copy Lane buttons will only enable if there is still space available for another lane the new lane s Size can be at least 50 In the example below Add Lane and Copy Lane are not enabled since the Size of each lane is 200 which sums to 400 the Height of the Add Vendor pool
29. 5 Size 10 v Color Hi Black X E Bold E Italic T Show Text T Add Text Label Properties Comment Cancel Help New Entity New Resource Global Attributes Entity Entity Type Resource Model c Pi The lines of text are appended together with a space between each line to create the label Select the Properties button to set whether the label should be displayed horizontally or vertically and to set the Font Attributes of the label js Text Label Properties Label Orientation Horizontal Vertical Font Attributes FontName Serif Size 24 Color H black 7 Bold Italic mem ia v v Cancel E s J The label will be centered across the top of the layout when Horizontal is selected and the label will be centered along the left of the layout when Vertical is selected Note that the labels cannot be resized or moved Changes can only be made from the Text Block tab of the Process properties dialog Defaults for Horizontal or Vertical and the Font Attributes can be set on the Text Label tab of the Preferences dialog Edit Preferences SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 86 Adding and Editing Activities Setting Activity Count Options The Counts tab allows customizing of the Activity counts All Activities will have settings for Activity Count Display Activity Count turns the display of Activity Count on and off Al
30. ABC is finding the appropriate level of detail for the business Process analysis The organization of business Processes is critical to reorganizing the cost data into Activity pools The hierarchical modeling approach of SIMPROCESS facilitates this organization and accommodates varying levels of detail for ABC analysis Another significant value of the ABC analysis in SIMPROCESS comes from the dynamic analysis of costs based on the event driven simulation Because SIMPROCESS tracks Resource interdependencies and captures the random nature of Processes the cost statistics provided by SIMPROCESS are far more accurate than results obtained from static analysis SIMPROCESS Users Manual 220 Benefits of ABC with SIMPROCESS Benefits of ABC with SIMPROCESS Focus on Cost Drivers One of the most important benefits of ABC is the focus it provides for estimating the key causes of costs Executives can use these estimates to prioritize and monitor improvement efforts For example understanding the cost of poor quality can justify the investment in a quality program Likewise understanding the cost of complex or diverse products and services can help streamline the product and service offerings Strategic Pricing Life cycles of product and services are becoming shorter and shorter The up front costs of developing testing and marketing are not recouped until revenue is generated Understanding the cost trade off between life cycle stages is cr
31. Add Opens a dialog to define component Entities Edit Opens a dialog to modify the component Entity definition Remove Removes the selected component Entity Batch Components When selected the assembled Entity batches the component Entities When not selected component Entities are disposed when the assembled Entity is released e Hold for Trigger Holds output Entities until an Entity enters the Trigger Pad Assembled Entity shows the Entity type to be released after all component Entities have entered the Activity A combo box provides a list of defined Entity types Duration specifies the delay time of the Activity The time set in the Duration will be applied after the Assembled Entity has been created Thus the Duration will be reflected in the Cycle Time of the Assembled Entity Duration Value Exp 10 0 a Units Hex 5 0 10 0 0 5 a InG 0 0 1 0 4 0 Collect Act NWW 0 0 1 0 2 0 Int 0 10 Collect Ac JSB 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 e Value The amount of time required to perform this Activity Use the combo box to select a statistical distribution or enter a constant value directly in this field e Units Determines if the Duration entered is measured as nanoseconds microseconds milliseconds seconds minutes hours days weeks months or years Batch Activity The Batch Activity combines several Entities into one Entity while retaining the identities of the original Entities The resultant Batched Entity tra
32. Animation Settings to change animation options The simulation pauses while this is being done Changing the animation options using the tool bar does not pause the simulation Double click on an Activity icon to bring up its properties dialog However any changes made will not be reflected in the running simulation Animation can be recorded for playback after the simulation ends See Post Simulation Animation on page 215 SIMPROCESS Users Manual 112 Simulation Results Simulation Results There are two options for quickly reviewing output statistics after a simulation run has completed View Simulation Results and the Standard Report View Simulation Results Choose View Simulation Results on the Report menu This displays a dialog that allows the selection of specific statistics to be viewed in a tabular format Also there are options for saving the results and viewing the results in various chart types See Simulation Results beginning on page 229 for more information Standard Report After the simulation run has completed the Standard Report may be displayed to view output statistics for the model From the Report menu bar choose Display Standard Report This will open the Display Standard Report dialog In the Report Replications list box if the model ran for multiple replications select an individual Replication the Average of All Replications run or the Sum of All Replications run Typically the
33. Background Graphic and choose Layout Send to Back SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 201 Importing Graphics Image Files Importing Graphics Image Files A Graphics Interchange Format GIF Joint Photographic Experts Group JPEG or Portable Network Graphics PNG graphic can be imported into SIMPROCESS An imported graphic can be used as aBackground Graphic as anicon representing a Process or Activity oras aniconrepresenting an Entity Background Images To use an imported graphic as a background select Manage Background Images from the Tools menu This will open the Manage Background Images dialog The dialog has two actions for importing background images Import Image and Import for Model Import Image imports a background graphic for use by any SIMPROCESS model Import for Model imports a background graphic only for the currently active SIMPROCESS model Import for Model is disabled if no model is open or the active model has not been saved and given a name a Rl Manage Background Images eo Importimage Image Import Background Image for All Models Import for Model Import Background Image for Current Model Manage Export and Delete Background Images Chose 4 Selecting the Import Image or Import for Model buttons will open the Import Background Image dialog P Import Background Image Image File Browse Background Name Cancel c Select the Browse button and choo
34. CDF plotted The graph can be saved to a file Select Close from the graph s File pull down menu to continue Once the data is entered choose OK and the Tabular Distribution is added to the list box This Tabular Distribution can now be used anywhere in the model where a statistical distribution is specified To copy an existing Tabular Distribution select the distribution choose the Copy button and enter another Name for the distribution SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 120 User Defined Distributions 8 To remove an existing Tabular Distribution select the distribution and choose the Remove but ton 9 Choose another tab or the Close button when the Tabular Distributions are complete Auto Fits Distributions Creating an Auto Fit Distribution Auto Fits Distributions creates a statistical distribution from external sample data using Model Fit 1 Select the Auto Fit tab Use this tab to Add Edit Copy or Remove Auto Fits Distributions 2 Choosing the Add Edit or Copy button brings up another dialog as shown below F br Auto Fit Properties Name AutoFit l Cancel File Spreadsheet Database NE TE Help Use File Data Source SSS File Name Browse ViewData Fit Now V Set Default Type Continuous X Set Default Bounds Enter Lower Bound Value Infinity v Enter Upper Bound Value Infinity v Simulation Options Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start On Error Use Default D
35. File is selected the OUTPUT statements are written to the file entered in the adjoining text field The file will be created in the model s directory so it must not contain any path information and must be legal for the platform on which SIMPROCESS is running Note that these options also apply to the ShowSystemAttributes and ShowUserAttributes System Methods See SIMPROCESS System Methods SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 140 Run Settings 7 a gt Run Settings om _Run Settinas CostPerods Debug Traces Co Expression Options Time Server Remote Transfer Random Numbers Expression Output Options Cancel Vv Suppress Dialog Help v Send Outputto File output bt Enable BREAKPOINT Statements x d These options apply when running simulations using the Experiment Manager see Experiment Manager However Suppress Dialog has no affect on the Experiment Manager Status Messages dialog SIMPROCESS models can be run without the SIMPROCESS Graphical User Interface see Running Models Without GUI The optimization tool OptQuest see OptQuest for SIMPROCESS and the SIMPROCESS Dispatcher do this The SIMPROCESS Dispatcher is an optional feature that allows SIMPROCESS to be used with a Web service If the SIMPROCESS Dispatcher was installed see SIMPROCESS Dispatcher pdf inthe dispatcher directory for more information If Suppress Dialog and Send Output to File are not selected
36. Freeing Resources 7 General Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts _ Name FreeResource10 V Show Name Use Text Block Cancel Icon f r FreeResource x Hea Icon Set Default xl l j New Entity New Resource E Release all Allocated Resources Global Attributes List of Actions Entity Type Resource Model E Collect Activity Statistics E Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment All Resources that have been allocated for this Entity can be freed by clicking on the Release all Allocated Resources box Anexplicit set ofResources to be freed can be defined by clicking on the Add button in the FreeResource Activity Properties dialog box The Add button brings up the following dialog reese ronron E Name Release Operation 1 c Free All Allocations With z 3 Cancel Tag Assign Clerk Z anaResouce smm Ga V Consumable resources will be consumed Assign a Name to the action being defined This name will be displayed in the List of Actions field of the FreeResource Properties dialog box The Tag and Resource fields combine to define free Resource actions 1 Tag indicates the Get Resource activities whose Resources will be released The pull down list contains all the Get Resource tags in the model SIMPROCESS Users Manual 191 Explicitl
37. Help B Trucks 1 0 EJ Model 1 I Clerks ar IR Stock Person New Entity New Resource Global Attributes Model Attributes a2 Se Entity Add Model Attribute EntiyType Requires Resource Any One Member Reserve As Available Model D All Members C Number of Members None Maximum Wait for Resource Time Value None bg a Time Unit Hours z Release Entities In Process at Start of Downtime Comment L Double click on the Replenish Resource icon to define this action SIMPROCESS Users Manual 193 Replenishing Consumable Resources fi i o i General Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts Name ReplenishResource18 Ea Show Name o Use Text Block Icon ReplenishResource X Icon Set Default L d New Entity _NewResource Global Attributes UY R a cas eee MOEL aiis List of Replenish Actions Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Select the consumable Resource on the drop down menu and then click on Add to define a replenish action Units of Resource to Replenish Resource Diesel Fuel head _ Units 1000 0 el _ Replenish To Capacity The Resource field identifies the Resource to be replenished The pull down list shows all the consumable Resources defined in the model
38. Master Process and a copy at the same level are to be deleted only delete the Master Process and either choose to delete all copies or delete the copy separately There cannot be a Master Process within a Master Process The Master Process option is disabled for child Processes of a Master Process Also if a higher level Process is designated a Master Process a warning will display explaining that a child Process is a Master Process and that continuing will cause the child Process to lose its Master Process designation If the option to continue is selected the child Process does not actually lose its Master Process designation until OK is selected on the Properties dialog gt Subordinate Master Process The subordinate Process Process4 is a Master Process If this Process is designated as a Master Process Process4 will lose its designation as a Master Process Keep Master Process designation SSS A copy of a Master Process cannot be pasted within the original Master Process This is enforced even if the copy of the Master Process is embedded in another Process that is being pasted SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 105 Defining Resources and Processes i a ti Paste of Process1 is not allowed A copy of a Master Process cannot be pasted into itself fi Paste of Process4 is not allowed It contains a copy of a Master Process Process1 A co
39. Metadata Font Name Serif Size 18 Color i Brown 7 Bold Size 122 Color E Brown 7 Bold E ttalic E Italic Line Attributes Line Attributes Line Width 100 Line Width 100 Line Style Solid Line Style Solid Line Color L Brown Line Color f Brown When a poolis selected the Edit Copy and Remove buttons enable Ifa pool is deleted using the Remove button itcan be restored with the Undo button The Add Lane button also enables when a poolis selected Horizontal Add Vendor Complete Document Copy Lane Remove Lane Multiple lanes can be added to a pool When Add Lane is selected the lane properties display These properties are similar to the swimlanes defined in the Layout menu option Swimlanes See Swimlanes beginning on page 47 for a description of these properties including assigning OrgModel Nodes The difference is the Lane properties include Lane Size Within Lane Size the Maximum Size is based on the Height of the pool for horizontal pools and is based on the Width of the pool for vertical pools For example the Height of the Add Vendor pool is 400 so the Maximum Size of the first lane defaults to 400 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 44 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Name Lanet v Show Name Assign OrgModel Node Lane Size Maximum Size 400 Minimum Size 50 Size
40. Rate must not be zero No units are assumed for Distance or Rate The Units field applies to the value that results from Distance being divided by Rate Note that a Connector Duration affects Entity animation When no Connectors on a layout have a Duration one Entity moves at a time This is because the Entity movement occurs in zero simulation time However when Connectors on a layout have a Duration multiple Entities can be moving at the same time since the movement represents the passing of time If some Connectors on a layout have a Duration and some do not the movement of Entities on Connectors with a Duration will stop while Entities cross Connectors with no Duration The Units set for Travel Time or Distance Divided By Rate also affect the animation of Entity movement It is recommended for animation purposes only that the Units of the Connector Duration match the Simulation Time Unit on the Run Settings dialog See Setting the Simulation Time Unit on page 108 If the Simulation Time Unit is different from the Units of a Connector Duration then it is possible that either the Entities will move very slowly across the Connector no matter what Animation Speed page 65 is set or the Entities will never show up again no matter what Animation Speed is set If animation is not a consideration then any value for Units is valid Connector Statistics Collect Connector Statistics and Collect Connector by Entity Statistics are used to req
41. Recruitment Process Move Up Cancel Move Down Default Order Apply to All Layouts When OK is selected if the traversal order in the dialog is different from the default order the order is stored as a part of that layout Again even though the traversal order is now different this change in the traversal order has no impact on model simulation SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 52 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus m 7 Process Order Staffing Request Recruitment Process Hiring Process To Be Staffing Request Process To Be Recruitment Process To Be Hiring Process Default Order E Apply to All Layouts Selecting Default Order will remove any user defined ordering for the layout and return the traversal order to the default order If Apply to All Layouts is selected when Default Order is clicked all user defined ordering in the model is removed Background Color Current Layout changes the background color of the visible layout to the selected color All Layouts changes the background color of all layouts in the active model to the selected color Align Right Center Vertical Center Horizontal a a Align aligns a number of selected objects according to various criteria Top aligns the tops of the selected objects Bottom aligns the bottoms of the selected objects
42. Resource Allocation Policy During simulation many activities may simultaneously contend for units of the same Resource If a required Resource is not available when an Entity arrives at an Activity the Entity waits for that Resource ina queue This state is defined as Wait for Resource inthe SIMPROCESS Standard Report Ifanactivity requires units from two different Resources and units from only one Resource is available SIMPROCESS may or may not obtain the Resource units that are available It depends on the rules defined for the Activity Any Resource units an activity holds are unavailable to other activities SIMPROCESS attempts to satisfy Resource requirements in the order of the priority of Entities queued for the Resource Priority is an Entity attribute assigned when the Entity is defined All Entities with the same priority are treated ona first come first served basis A higher priority Entity may optionally preempt a lower priority Entity when the Resource units needed are not available See Preempting Lower Priority Entities on page 195 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 182 Defining Resources Defining Resources Use the Resource option from the Define pull down menu or the Define Resources button on the Model Toolbar to define Resources in a model In the following discussion Resources for an order distribution Process will be used sales representatives to Process the orders trucks to deliver merchandise and
43. Seaton Loveno J Fit Now Starting Row None v el Column None v V Set Default Type Continuous z Set Default Bounds Enter Lower Bound Value Infinity ad Enter Upper Bound Value Infinit v Simulation Options _ Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start E On Error Use Default Distribution None v Suppress Warnings Stream 1 Fitted Distribution ModelFit Alternatives e ative ModelFit Warnings A The Database tab is used to specify an SQL database as the data source Use Database Data Source must be selected to use this type of data source Two items are required Properties File and SQL Query Properties File must contain the database location connection information It is the name ofthe properties file that contains the JDBC url and driver information and ifnecessary username and password This file must be located in the model s directory SQL Query must contain the query that returns the sample data The query can be parameterized by using model attributes For example Select TIM E VALU E From TimeTable can be changed to Select Model TableColumn From TimeTable In this example Model TableColumn is a STRING Model Attribute that contains the name of the column to read Note that if the query returns multiple columns only the first column will be read for sample data SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 123 User Defined Distributions r ial Auto Fit Properties Name AutoFitt Canc
44. The layouts will subsequently display using the current session layout size The current session setting is only changed if no checkboxes are selected or if the Default Setting checkbox is selected Each time a layout is displayed if a layout size is specified in the model that size will be used if none is found the current session setting will be used instead Pools Pools allows the addition of pools to the current layout Pools are for display purposes only and have no impact on the simulation The pools dialog has two tabs Horizontal and Vertical On the left side of each tab is a tree view of the pools The right side has a miniature view of the current layout Both horizontal and vertical pools can be on the same layout The example below shows a modified version of the demonstration model Add Vendor spm re OOOO O Vertical Cancel Add Vendor spe Add Lane Edit Lane Copy Lane Remove Lane Click the Add button to add a pool This brings up a dialog which contains the Name of the pool the Layout Size the Size and Location of the pool the Font Attributes for the name and the Line Attributes SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 42 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Pil s O Name Width Width Size Color Line Style Pool1 Layout Size 1300 Height 575 Size and Location 1300 Height 575 X 0 Y 0 Font Attributes Fon
45. The Getting Started With SIMPROCESS manual is a must for first time SIMPROCESS users This manual can also be used for evaluation purposes The chapters are e Business Process Modeling With SIMPROCESS e Installation Building Your First Model With SIMPROCESS e Evaluating Alternatives With SIMPROCESS e Demonstration and Reference Models User s Manual The User 5 Manual is divided into four parts with each part being a separate file Part A is an excellent reference for beginners and casual users This part contains detailed documentation of the basic and intermediate functions of SIMPROCESS The chapters are e Process Modeling and Analysis with SIMPROCESS e SIMPROCESS Basics e Statistical Modeling Constructs e Activity Modeling Constructs e Resource Modeling Constructs e Graphical Modeling Constructs e Activity Based Costing e Statistical Output Reports Part B is a reference intended for advanced users of SIMPROCESS This part contains detailed documentation of the programming and library management functions in SIMPROCESS Professional Edition The chapters are e Reusable Templates and Libraries e Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions e More Advanced Model Building e Exporting Results Part C describes the integrated tools included with SIMPROCESS Professional The chapters are e Advanced Data Analysis SIMPROCESS Database e Experiment Manager OptQuest for SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS Dashboards e M
46. This name is shown below the Activity icon in the model if the Show Name checkbox is selected SIMPROCESS assigns new Activities a default name It is a good idea to change this to a name that is meaningful one that indicates what occurs at this Activity Activities can be named just about anything as long as the same name is not used twice in the same level of the model hierarchy Change the name of an existing Activity by clicking in the Name field and typing the new name The contents of the Text Block can be used as the Name by selecting the Use Text Block check box The lines of text are appended together with a space between each line to create the Name When Use Text Block is selected the Name field is not editable The values on the Text Block tab must be changed to change the Name Choosing an Icon The Icon field identifies the graphical icon used to represent the Activity in the model layout All Activity icons are arranged into sets The set consists of predefined sets and user defined sets See SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 83 Adding and Editing Activities Importing Graphics Image Files on page 202 The Icon Set field lists the sets of icons available The set All lists all icons regardless of set Every Activity has several icons from which to choose The names of the standard icons differ slightly for each Activity because they include the name of the Activity Point and click on and icon s name to select it
47. Type Temp v a NewEntiy Quantity 410 v J Copy Attributes Document Display adata Line Width 100 Line Style Solid Duration Travel Time Distance Divided By Rate Value None Distance None Rate None that bouts Units Hours Collect Connector Statistics Collect Connector by Entity Statistics Comment The unique attributes of the Split Connector are Entity Type is the field where the Split Entity type that will flow along this Connector is selected Quantity specifies how many of the split Entities will flow along this Connector for each original Entity that enters the Split Activity Copy Attributes opens a dialog where Global Entity Instance attributes to copy from the original Entity to each of the Split Entities are selected Entity Priority and Time Stamps can also be copied from the original Entity to each of the Split Entities New Entity button opens the Entity definition dialog for modifying Entity type definitions Clicking on the Entity Type pull down box displays a list of the Entities in the model The Entity to flow along this Connector is selected here For analysis purposes consider using a different name for the children For example if the original Entity type Customer Order is used for each of the paths leading from the Split Activity distortions in the statistics for the Customer Order Entity could occur When all split Entities meet again at the Join Activity the two split En
48. View Simulation Results from the Report menu or by right clicking on an item on the layout and choosing View Results Results can also be saved to a file or viewed graphically View Simulation Results Selecting View Simulation Results opens the Simulation Results dialog Simulation Results Select Replication Select Component Sum of All 10 replications Time Stamp Attribute Cost Average of All 10 replications Entity Activity Resource Connector ii S ep eon 3 IEA Product A Replication 2 EA Product B Replication 3 FA Product C Replication 4 Replication 5 IN Replication 6 Replication 7 Replication 8 Replication 9 Replication 10 Results Results Time Unit Hours z Total Count Count By State Cycle Time By State No results A Replication and an Entity must be selected Help The dialog consists of three sections Select Replication Select Component and Results The Select Replication section lists all the replications If multiple replications were run options for the sum of all replications and average ofall replications will be included in the list The Select Component section contains a tab for each type of SIMPROCESS component for which statistics can be collected The tabs are Entity Activity Resource Connector Time Stamp Attribute and Cost The Entity Time Stamp and Attribute tabs will only contain items of the selected type for which statistics were
49. a dialog that has the trace and histogram plot properties on the left and the list of values to plot on the right Note that if a trace plot and histogram plot are selected the values plotted are the same for both plots Another custom plot must be defined if different values are to be on the trace plot and histogram plot The plot properties on the left are the same as described on page 260 ps gt Custom Plot Properties Custom Plot Name Custom Plot1 Cancel Trace Properties ji ia pi Histogram Properties Help v Real Time Trace Plot Trace Title Remove All X Axis Label r Set Plot Grou ocala L SRPA Group __ Remove Plot Group X Axis Type Select Plot Values Standard Axis Simulation Time Unit Hours Z i Entity Date Axis Label Format Date ci m Resource R Activit V Hide Plot at Simulation Start tivity Display Plot on Remote Server Connector Remote Server URL dime Stamp Model Attribute Legend Plot Legends Set Legends iag Resource s lto Connector m oe Model Attribute Time Stamp oo mz Select All Deselect All Comment Adding Values To Custom Plots The buttons located under Select Plot Values of the Custom Plot Properties dialog determine which values will be plotted in the trace and or histogram plots The buttons are Entity Resource Activity Connector Time Stamp and Model Attribute buttons These buttons bring up the appropriate list
50. a model the Group ID is checked before the model ID to avoid duplication of Attributes and other items Only if no Group ID is present in the model or if the Group ID of the model and the Group ID of the template do not match will the model ID check be performed Save saves the model Saving a model that has not previously been saved will execute Save As so the model can be named NOTE It is a good idea to save a model any time you make changes to it and to save a model under a different name any time you extensively change a model SIMPROCESS saves your models with the extension spm and at the same time also saves a backup with the extension bck To save anew model or to save an existing model under anew name use File Save As For information on automatic saving see Other Preferences on page 33 Save As is used to save a model for the first time or to save a model with a new name Save As creates a directory for the model referred to as the model directory that has the model name without extension and is in the same directory as the model file The model directory is the default location SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 16 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus for input and output files of various types and is the preferred location for imported images see Importing Graphics Image Files and external Java classes see SIMPROCESS and External Java Classes Note that when performing Save As the complete conte
51. accrued any Cycle Time Transfer Resources Causes any assigned Resources of the incoming Entity to be transferred to the exiting Entity This only applies to Resources that are not acquired and released within the Transform Activity Thus Resources requested on the Resources tab do not apply since Resources requested there are acquired and released by the incoming Entity before the transform occurs Note Ifthe Quantity is greater than one or there is more than one exiting connector only the first exiting Entity will receive the Resources from the incoming Entity Copy Attributes tab is where attributes of the arriving Entity can be selected to be transferred to the new output Entity Examples of attributes that can be copied include User Defined Attribute values creation time etc Time Stamps and Entity Priority can also be copied Specifying Attributes to Copy Selecting the Copy Attributes tab displays the following i p Transform Properties attributes Expressions EventLoas Text Block Documentation Counts General Copy Attributes Resources SSS Cancel Copy Global Entity Instance Attributes Add DelayTime Help StarfTime i gt Remove New Ent Adaa AALAN New Resource P Remove All Copy Creation Time Copy Time Stamps Copy Entity Priority Comment Global Attributes Entity J Entity Type Resource Model J L gt i The following options on the Copy Entity Fie
52. an Entity The Assign Activity is covered in detail in Assign Activity r aT Assign Properties N sl General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts oK Name Assign14 V Show Name T Use Text Block Cancel Icon Assign yp a CIP acc Icon Set Default z New Entity Set Entity Priority None een New Resource Set Attributes Global Attributes ac 5 entity R Entity Type Ec Resource Model Duration Before Assigning Value None a Units Hours z Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment L Dialog Field Definitions and Buttons Set Entity Priority sets or changes the Priority of an Entity The priority defaults to None which means SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 158 Entity Control Activities the Entity priority is not changed Entity priority must be within the range to 100 Ifa value less than 1 is returned from the distribution then the Entity priority is not changed Ifa value greater than 100 isreturned from the distribution then a warning isdisplayed and the Entity priority is set to 100 NOTE Entities with a higher priority use available Resources first Duration is used as in other SIMPROCESS Activities Set Attributes lists existing attribute assignments e Use Add to set values for Entity attributes e Use Edit tomodify existing assignments Select the attr
53. attribute a run time error will occur if an Entity enters that does not have the selected Attribute defined Smallest Value and Largest Value Use the buttons in Set Value to specify the value to use for the Connector The value can be an Entity Resource Activity Connector Time Stamp or Model Attribute value See Adding Values To Custom Plots beginning on page 270 for a description of the values available for each button Select Current Value to use the instantaneous value Select Average Value to use the running average of the value Otherwise If Otherwise is selected this Connector becomes the default branching Connector This means all Entities pass through this Connector if none of the criteria in any other Connectors are satisfied For Smallest Value and Largest Value the Otherwise Connector is only selected if the values for all the other Connectors are equal If there is no Otherwise Connector and all the Connector values are equal then SIMPROCESS selects a random Connector Branch Activity Type Connector Properties Used Display Example Probability Probability between 0 0 and 1 0 0 75 Otherwise True or False Otherwise Attribute Branch If Attribute Is value Displays User Defined Attribute Name on Connector with IF or AND conditions e g My Attrl 5 or 4 lt My Attri lt 7 Otherwise True or False Otherwise Entity Type Type from Entity type combo box Request for Quote Otherwise Tru
54. available Number Of Members A certain number of members of the list but not all members are needed to Process an Entity Enter the value of number in the box SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 187 Adding Resource Requirements to Activities Reserve As Available may pose a risk of deadlock Activities A and B are both defined as requiring Resources 1 amp 2 using Reserve As Available logic An Entity arrives at activity A which obtains Resource 1 Resource 2 is not available so A waits for it Now an Entity with higher priority arrives at Activity B Activity B waits for Resources 1 and 2 Then Resource 2 becomes available Although Activity A has been waiting for Resource 2 longer than Activity B has B gets the Resource because the Entity it is processing has a higher priority than Activity A s Entity A deadlock develops since neither activity will release the reserved Resource Make sure this situation cannot develop Maximum Wait for Resource Time is used to set the maximum amount of time an Entity will wait for the requested Resources to become available The Value field can be None a constant or any valid statistical distribution and will represent units as selected in Time Unit A Value of None indicates that the Entity will wait as long as necessary to obtain the requested Resources If Value is something other than None and the Entity is still waiting for Resources when the specified time has passed the Enti
55. bin width can be set defaults to 1 0 For trace plots the X axis can either be a standard axis default or a date axis A date axis displays a date and or time instead of numbers If the plot properties are not set defaults will apply to the plots The default title is the item name plus the plot name For instance the defaulttitle for a trace ofcycle times for an Activity named Delay would be Delay1 Cycle Times Trace For a standard X axis the default units for the Xaxis of trace plots is the Simulation Time Unit selected in the Run Settings See Setting the Simulation Time Unit on page 108 The default units for the Y axis of trace plots depends on the type of value being plotted If the value is a cycle time total processing wait for Resource hold for condition or traveling the default unit is the Output Time Units selected in the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog Ifthe value is not a cycle time then the Y axis is set according to the values plotted Histograms follow the same rules for the X axis since the X axis plots the values in a histogram To change any of the defaults or to hide the plot choose the Set Plot Properties button This button will display a dialog for each plot selected rc im Cycle Times Trace Properties X Axis Label Cancel Y Axis Label Help X Axis Type Standard Axis Simulation Time Unit Hours a Date Axis Label Format Date v Value Time Unit Hours AA vV Hide P
56. by selecting Distribute Pads Although intended for the Hierarchical Process this menu item can be used for any Activity or Process Group combines multiple objects into a group All normal editing operations that can be done on an individual object can be done on the group This can be useful when the model is divided into logical sections A section can be grouped and then moved with respect to the other sections A group can be cut from the layout or copied and pasted to create an identical group SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 55 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Use Ungroup to edit individual components of a group Ungroup breaks up a group into the original components that went into making the group Bring To Front brings an object to the front of the layout so it can be edited Send To Back sends an object that is at the front of the model layout to the back Snap To Grid Once turned on objects can only be placed on the layout at grid intersections Grid Lines places a grid on the model layout as a convenience in aligning objects The grid has no significance to the model Grid Spacing changes the spacing of the grid Three levels are offered Fine Medium and Coarse Grid Color changes the color of the grid to the color selected on the color button View Menu Descend Ascend gt Go To Top Show Process Numbering Seeds Activities Resources Activity Names Connector Names Pad Names Z
57. csv is the default file type The outputisthe same no matter the type of file selected except for the Sheet Per Flow option which is described below N z Export Activities by Type ksl Select File Type Export Options i E include Duration SS Help Spreadsheet xls _ Include Resources _ Include Pool Swimlane Export _ Include Inactive Alternatives All Activity Types __ Activities Only In Sequence Selected Activity Types TEREN Select Activity Types Assemble GetResource Assign Join Batch Merge Branch Process Clone ReplenishResource Delay Split Dispose Synchronize FreeResource Transfer Gate Transform Generate Unbatch x All Activity Types is the default option for the types of Activities to export If only certain Activity types should be exported then select Selected Activity Types When this option is selected the Activity types listed under Select Activity Types enable This allows the export of Activities to be restricted to certain types of Activities The columns included in the exported file are Parent Process Number if Show Process Numbering is selected on the View menu see View Menu on page 56 Parent Process the name of the parent Process of the Activity Alternative the name of the Process Alternative of the Activity Activity the name of the Activity and Activity Type the type of the Activity If the Activity or Process is on the top layout the Parent Process
58. current session saved and used for subsequent SIMPROCESS sessions saved with the currentmodel layoutand always used to display it or saved and used with all layouts in a model Each time a layout is displayed its stored size will be used The session setting will be used if there is not a stored size The current size of the active layout SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 40 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus is displayed at the bottom of the dialog Default is displayed if the active layout size is the current session s default layout size otherwise the actual dimensions are displayed Enforce 4 3 Aspect Ratio defaults to being not selected If Enforce 4 3 Aspect Ratio is selected the ratio of width to height must be 4 to 3 Selecting Enforce 4 3 Aspect Ratio will cause the default width of 925 and height of 575 to change to 928 and 626 respectively since 925 and 575 do not conform to the 4 to 3 ratio This ratio is enforced whenever a change is made to the height or width For example if the height were changed to 712 the width would automatically change to 952 and the entered value of 712 would change to 714 Thus both values are updated to the next higher values that meet the 4 to 3 ratio a mn Layout Size Width 925 640 minimum Height 575 480 minimum Cancel e E Enforce 4 3 Aspect Ratio Help v Default Setting Set as Default Remove Default Setting v Apply to Current Model Current Layout Only All
59. expressions that contain specific text Searching for text can also include replacing text As with Model Search the Expression Search dialog has three areas Search Items Search Criteria and Search Results SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 38 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus r gt Expression Search Search Items Search Criteria Search Results Process or Activity Search For Hep Entity Type ret Eisi Fer Resource Edit J se Replace With Reso f Function ceini Function B E Ignore Case a Model Model 7 Any Fina E Pi Search Items has seven check boxes Process or Activity Entity Type Entity Instance Resource Function Model or Any default The other items become available for selection when Any is deselected Expression Search searches the expressions of the selected Search Items based on the options set in Search Criteria To find items that have expressions no matter what the text of the expressions leave the Search For field empty Note thatifthe Search For field is empty items that have Expressions stored in files will be located To search for specific text in expressions enter the search text in the Search For field All searches are contains searches That is there is a match if the text in the Search For field is contained within any line of an expression Select Ignore Case to perform a case insensitive search If the Replace With field
60. if errors are found Choose Verify Model from the Simulate menu before running to check the model for errors before running a simulation Running a Simulation with Model Parameters If the model has User defined Attributes which were selected as Model Parameters when the simulation run is started SIMPROCESS will prompt for initial values for those Model Parameters cr ry Model Parameters Parameter Value Comp1ReOrderPt_ 200 Cancel Comp1ReOrderQty 100 Comp2ReOrderPt 400 Help Comp2ReOrderQty 200 FinProdReOrderPt 80 T Resetall Description l Reset Defaut Mode f Double click Value cells to edit them E The Model Parameters are displayed in a table The column under Parameter gives the name of the User defined Attribute The Value column shows the value the attribute will have at the start of the simulation run To change the value of a Model Parameter select it in the table The Description of the selected parameter will be displayed below the table along with its default value and the mode of its value integer real etc The next step is to enter the desired value of the Model Parameter in the Value field If Reset is pressed the selected Model Parameter will return to its default value The Reset All button under the Help button will set the value of all the Model Parameters back to their defaults SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 110 Running a Simulation Cre
61. in are in process waiting for Resource holding for condition and traveling Real time Plots Real time plots display statistics while the simulation is running This may slow the simulation but real time plots give a running view of the performance metrics during the simulation If multiple real time plots are selected they will be stacked on top of each other Real time plots can be minimized moved resized or closed while the simulation is running Real time plots that have been closed can be displayed again See Displaying Real Time Plots on page 263 There are two types of real time plots traces and histograms Traces display the instantaneous value of a particular statistic along with a running mean Histograms display the number of occurrences of values of a statistic These are grouped into value ranges called bins The bin size is set automatically by SIMPROCESS Traces and histograms for the same statistic do not have to be displayed together Individual charts may be selected Real time plots are selected under the Report menu item Real Time Plots Plots may be customized and hidden See Real Time Plots on page 259 Cycle Times Trace and Cycle Times Histogram These reports show the individual cycle time measurements for each Entity ofa given type Charts are generated for each Entity type that is selected The charts are updated as each Entity of the given type completes its cycle time This occurs when the Entity is t
62. in detail with particular attention devoted to the Generate Activity and the Entities The remaining SIMPROCESS Activities are described in Chapter 4 Activity Modeling Constructs beginning on page 146 and in Explicitly Getting and Freeing Resources on page 189 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 78 Model Toolbar Model Toolbar The Model Toolbar is the two columns of buttons running down the left margin of the SIMPROCESS window Layout Buttons The buttons in the top section of the toolbar are used to place model building blocks on the SIMPROCESS layout the central region of the SIMPROCESS window Ye Hierarchical saan R Process o Connector Connector So Ne Input Pad gt I gt output Pad Generate oc Dispose Delay at eo e Assemble re gt Branch 4 Merge D g a A Batch amp Unbatch D Oy Split Oe pO Join D Oo Transform a ood Transfer Gate o f acb Assign ni Replenish chronize p Syn of Resource Get ll Il Free Resource Resource Background p Background Text T 29 Graphic SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 79 Model Toolbar Define Menu Buttons These buttons perform the same actions as the corresponding Define menu items See Define Menu on page 61 Define Entities 2 508 Define Resource Downtime day s Define Functions f Define Model Ar Expressions D Nea Define Resources Define Resource Shifts Define Global Attributes
63. is Conn43 H Sales Process Z Service Process E Z Complete Calls Number Entities Traveling Entity Cycle Time Find Connector Named Ernan E ignore Case OK Help Expand All Collapse All Select All Deselect All Add Values Control click to select or deselect multiple values L Connector SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 272 Custom Plots Time Stamp displays the Time Stamps defined in the model Once a Time Stamp has been selected the only value available for plotting is Cycle Time r A euen O e Sales start To Sales stop Service start To Serivce stop Select All Deselect All Mt Add Values Control click to select or deselect multiple values Model Attribute displays a list of the Integer and Real Model Attributes defined in the model Array attributes are listed by element Once an attribute has been selected the values available for plotting appear for that attribute The values that can be plotted are the Value of the attribute and the Mean of the attribute The Mean is the observation mean r 7 S Select Model Attribute V Deselect All Add Values Control click to select or deselect multiple values Values can be added to the plot from each type Entity Resource etc However adding values from different types and within types must be
64. large models unless an Activity Gantt Chart will be created This could cause memory problems and would lead to much unneeded information It is recommended that Activity statistics usually be selected at the appropriate Activity gt Delay Properties General Resources Attributes I Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts if OK Name Delay1 V Show Name Use Text Block Cancel P Help Icon at Delay X lad bep Icon Set Default z New Entity New Resource Global Attributes Duration Entity j Value Nor 10 0 1 0 cal Entity Type Units Hours nA Resource Model V Collect Activity Statistics WV Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment d Entity Count Reports These reports present the simulation generated Entity count statistics for selected Processes Activities Total Entity Count This report shows the total number of Entities that 1 have arrived at the Process Activity 2 are remaining in the Process Activity at the end of the simulation 3 have been processed by the Process Activity and 4 left the Activity without processing These can also be broken down by Entity type Count By Entity State This report shows the average and maximum Entity counts broken down by Entity states that were processed by the selected Activity That is how many were in the Activity Wait For Resource In Process and Hold for Condition s
65. left of this dialog shows the currently defined cost periods The default periods for a one year simulation are Quarter1 Quarter2 Quarter3 and Quarter4 At the bottom of the dialog is the Period Frequency selection list with the default Quarterly selected Click the down arrow button to see all of the Period Frequencies that SIMPROCESS offers Weekly Monthly Quarterly Half Yearly and Yearly Notice that if a new Period Frequency is selected SIMPROCESS will create anew set of periods in the period list and assign each a default name Month1 Month2 or Week1 Week2 Notice also that SIMPROCESS will automatically create and name enough cost periods to span the currently specified run length The simulation Start Time and End Time are set from the Run Settings tab This dialog also sets the name of the Currency used on the cost reports This is a simple label used in the reports SIMPROCESS provides no currency conversion facilities and assumes that all cost amounts are in the same currency e g Dollars or Euros When a particular cost period is selected and the View button is clicked SIMPROCESS will display the Cost Period detail dialog which shows the start and end dates and times for the cost period and the name of the period The name of each cost period can be changed to be more descriptive in the context of the cost report For example the cost periods could be called Spring Summer Fall and Winterrather than Quarterl Qua
66. not generate Entities during the simulation Or a Resource Downtime with Start and End dates outside of the simulation Start and End dates will not be applied Run Dates and the Real Calendar Both Entity generation schedules and Resource downtime schedules can be based on a day of the week SIMPROCESS calculates the day of the week as well as the month year and time of day at any moment in a simulation It maps the simulation dates to the real calendar For example in 2014 the year begins on a Wednesday Setting the Simulation Time Unit SIMPROCESS allows the Simulation Time Unit to be set which is the time unit of the simulation clock The simulation clock must maintain a constant time unit The default is Hours Even though each individual time unit can be different those times are converted to the time unit of the simulation clock Also this is important for reducing rounding errors If the primary delays in the model are in seconds or less the time unit of the simulation clock should be set to Seconds or less Converting a delay in nanoseconds or even seconds to hours could result in rounding errors whereas converting a delay in nanoseconds to seconds or less most likely would not Animation Settings SSS a Animation Settings Animation 7 Show Clock Cancel V Show Counts Help vV Show Entities v Update Dynamic Labels Animation Speed 1 100 20 0 SIMPROCESS User 5 Man
67. of items along with the values that can be plotted Entity displays a list of Entities defined in the model Once an Entity has been selected the values SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 270 Custom Plots for plotting appear The values that can be plotted are Number Created Number Disposed Number In System Number Processing Number Waiting Number On Hold Number Traveling Cycle Time Processing Time Wait Time On Hold Time and Travel Time Select Entity Val Hardware Sales Call R Hardware Service Call amp Invoice a Phone Order R Software Sales Call Le Software Service Call Number Created Number Disposed Number In System Number Processing Number Waiting Number On Hold Number Traveling Select All Deselect All Cycle Time Processing Time Add Values Wait Time H a Control click to select or TEER deselect multiple values Travel Time 4 Resource displays a tree of Resources defined in the model Once a Resource has been selected the values available for plotting appear The values that can be plotted are Capacity Units Idle Units Busy Units Down Units Planned Down Units Unplanned Down and Units Reserved E Customer Service E Expert R Hardware Sales Rep Intern z Service Rel D a Rep Units Unplanned Down R a __ Units Reserved Collapse All Select All Deselect All Add Values Control click to select or deselect multiple values Resour
68. printed or exported in a different order than the default order of each layout Important The traversal order whether default or user defined only impacts printing exporting and Process numbering See View Menu on page 56 for information on Process numbering It has no bearing on the simulation flow This menu item which is also located on the contextual menu for a layout displays a dialog that allows the order to be changed For example consider the Human Resources demo model displayed above Below is the current order for that model SIMPROCESS User s Manual 51 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Process Order Recruitment Process Staffing Request To Be Hiring Process To Be Staffing Request Process To Be Recruitment Process Move Up Move Down Default Order Apply to All Layouts For each set of as is and to be Processes the layout shows Staffing first followed by Recruitment then Hiring However when printed or exported for the as is Processes Recruitment will print or export before Staffing and for the to be Processes Hiring will print or export first when it should be last When a Process is selected the Move Up and Move Down buttons enable These buttons allow the Processes to be given a different traversal order Process Order Recruitment Process Staffing Request a Hiring Process Help To Be Hiring Process a oe To Be Staffing Request Process To Be
69. products Process Event driven Activity based Mapping Simulation Costing SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS integrates Process mapping hierarchical event driven simulation and Activity based costing ABC intoa single tool The architecture of SIMPROCESS provides an integrating framework for ABC The building blocks of SIMPROCESS are Processes resources entities flow objects activities ABC and dynamic Process analysis ABC embodies the concept that a business is a series of inter related Processes and that these Processes consist of Activities that convert inputs to outputs The modeling approach in SIMPROCESS manifests this concept and builds on it by organizing and analyzing cost information on an Activity basis SIMPROCESS Users Manual lI How Do You Use SIMPROCESS How Do You Use SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS allows youto create an abstract model ofa Process under study You produce acomputer model of a business Process and documentation diagrams and descriptions SIMPROCESS is a dynamic modeling tool that simulates the flow of entities through the defined Process Entities could be e proposals e orders e invoices e customers e work in Process e patients Entities that a Process receives acts upon or produces should be included in the definition of the business Process Entities flow from one Process step to thenext and at each step some task is performed The Resources such as people machines o
70. quits SIMPROCESS If you have made edits since you last saved the open models you will be prompted to save your models before exiting Edit Menu A Undo Ctrl Z amp Cut Ctrl X LE Copy Ctrl C Paste Ctrl V Duplicate X Clear Delete Select All Ctri A Resize Preferences Ctrl F Activity Browser Connector Browser Model Search Expression Search Metadata Search Properties Alt Enter Undo Undo restores Activities Processes and Connectors that have been cut or cleared deleted It also SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 26 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus reverses Align and Distribute actions removes Activities Processes and Connectors that have been added and reverses any move Connector actions The Undois only active at the hierarchical level where the action occurred A maximum of 30 Undo actions can be active at any one time As editing events occur that create Undo actions the most recent 30 actions are the ones that are kept The Undo menu and the tool tip for the Undo button will update to show the next Undo action for example Undo Clear Undo Cut Undo Align Undo Distribute Undo actions are active in the reverse order of the editing actions that created them For instance if Activities are aligned then an Activity is deleted the order of Undo actions would be Undo Clear followed by Undo Align Cut Cut cuts the selected object from the model layout The cut object is copied to the clipboard
71. report of interest will be the Average of All Replications report Calculate Confidence Intervals is activated if the Average of All Replications report is selected which allows selection of 90 95 or 99 confidence intervals for each performance measure Select to view the Standard Report with a Text Editor Wordpad by default with a Spread Sheet or with the Report Viewer and press the Display Report button to open the report See Standard Report beginning on page 243 for more detail on the Standard Report SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 113 CHAPTER 3 Statistical Modeling Constructs SIMPROCESS allows the analyzing of processes using discrete event simulation This means that SIMPROCESS models systems by taking the processes that happen in the real world and breaking them down into the key events that occur Parts move to a station in a factory are processed and then move to the next station If one part goes into a station and one part comes out then the most important aspect of modeling the station would be to capture the processing time which in the real world will vary due to any number of fac tors by a statistical distribution A statistical distribution is used to give the model the randomness that always occurs in the real world Of course if things in the real world never varied simulation would not be needed Mean value analysis of your system would suffice Mean value analysis is a sim ple way of predicting
72. reports See Comparing Scenarios Activity Gantt Chart allows the creation of Gantt charts based on the results of the simulation See Activity Gantt Chart on page 206 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 69 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Real Time Plots sets which real time plots to display during or after the simulation run See Defining Plots on page 259 Custom Real Time Plots creates plots with multiple values to view during or after the simulation run See Custom Plots on page 270 Display Real Time Plots selects real time plots for viewing See Displaying Real Time Plots on page 263 Launch Plot Application opens a blank plot window Saved plots may then be opened for viewing See Displaying Plots Remotely on page 263 Dashboards Defines new dashboards for use with models or Assigns previously defined dashboards to a model See SIMPROCESS Dashboards Commit to Database saves simulation results in the SIMPROCESS database SimProcDB Commit to Database is described in detail in SIMPROCESS Database Launch Database Application starts the database application from within SIMPROCESS The Manage Results form launches automatically when launching MS Access from this menu item The Manage Results form is described in detail in SIMPROCESS Database Experiment Menu Define Experiments Run All Experiments Run Selected Experiments Run Specific Experiment Define Experimen
73. the Resources will be released When the Processing is stopped if the Interrupt Processing Entity instance expression has statements it is executed The Rush Order Entity obtains the Resources and starts Processing The Entity that was interrupted goes back to the wait for Resource queue It will be placed in the queue ahead of all other Entities with the same or lower priority When the interrupted Entity obtains Resources again it will Process with the time that was remaining when it was preempted Also ifthe Resume Processing Entity instance expressions has statements it is executed See Initializing Entity Attributes for information on Entity instance expressions SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 195 CHAPTER 6 Graphical Modeling Constructs Graphical constructs in SIMPROCESS include Background Text static and dynamic Background Graphics In addition graphics can be imported for use as backgrounds or icons Activity Gantt charts can be created and animation can be recorded for playback SIMPROCESS User s Manual 196 Background Text Background Text There are two types of background text in SIMPROCESS static text and dynamic labels Static text is used for annotating the model layout and does not change during simulation Dynamic labels are updated during simulation and are used to display information about changing properties of model elements Several text labels can be grouped together on the layout and th
74. the SPRemote jar and plot jar files which are found in the SPSYSTEM directory where SIMPROCESS was installed copy these to another system as required To use the same system enter rmi localhost for the Remote Server URL field To display the plots on a different system change localhost to an appropriate value that will resolve to the Internet Protocol IP address of the system where the RMI Registry and SPPlotServer are located Alternatively just use the actual IP number To start the RMI Registry abatch file or UNIX shell script can be constructed becausethe RMI Registry program is required to have in its classpath the locations of files referenced by server Processes Here are some examples of what should be contained in those files Windows batch file set CLASSPATH SPRemote jar rmiregistry UNIX shell script using the Bourne shell or a derivative CLASSPATH SPRemote jar export CLASSPATH rmiregistry UNIX shell script using the C shell or a derivative setenv CLASSPATH SPRemote jar rmiregistry Sample batch files and scripts are located in the SPUser SampleFiles directory SPUser isin the SIMPROCESS working directory see SIMPROCESS Working Directory The sample batch files and scripts are intended to be used in the SIMPROCESS installation directory but can be modified to run from other locations Administrator privileges may be required to run a sample batch file from the SIMPROCESS installation directory
75. the seeds by selecting Seeds on the View menu The purpose of using different random number streams in the model is to control variance This is an advanced topic well beyond the scope of this manual Please refer to texts on statistics and ran domness including Simulation Modeling and Analysis by Law and Kelton McGraw Hill SIMPROCESS offers two types of random number generation Legacy and Mersenne Twister The Legacy random number generator is the default random number generator It is the same random number generator used in CACI s Simscript product Mersenne Twister is a random number gener ator developed in 1997 by Makoto Matsumoto and Takuji Nishimura The random number genera tor to use is set on the Run Settings see Random Numbers on page 146 Standard Distributions SIMPROCESS includes many standard probability distributions and you can also create empirical distributions from your own data Some of the probability distributions have more than one imple mentation SIMPROCESS includes 11 distributions from the Apache Commons Math library see commons apache org proper commons math These distributions include ACM in the distribution name see Statistical Distributions for a list The following paragraphs discuss selecting distributions and provide brief descriptions of some of the most common standard distributions Choosing the Right Distribution for Your Data It is not always clear which of the standard distri
76. then OUTPUT statements are written to the appropriate log file In most cases the log file will be simprocess log When using OptQuest the log file is optQuest 1log The 10g files are located in the SIMPROCESS working directory See SIMPROCESS Working Directory The Dispatcher log fileis Dispatcher 1og Itslocation is dependent on where the Web service is located If either Suppress Dialog or Send Output to File is selected then no information is sent to a log file When Send Output to File is selected the OUTPUT statements are written to the designated file Whether running a model with or without the SIMPROCESS GUL the file designated in Send Output to File will contain output for all replications however when the same model is run again the file will be overwritten So ifauser the Experiment Manager OptQuest or the SIMPROCESS Dispatcher runs the same model multiple times the file will only contain information from the last run BREAKPOINT Statement BREAKPOINT statements cause the simulation to pause While paused the BREAKPOINT Analyzer can be used to determine the status of simulation components Enable BREAKPOINT Statements must be selected for BREAKPOINT statements to be active Note that BREAKPOINT statements are always inactive when running without the SIMPROCESS Graphical User Interface See Method BREAKPOINT for more information on BREAKPOINT SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 14 Run Settings
77. time less than the current simulation time of the receiving simulation that information is ignored so no Entity instance is released The file simprocess err in the SIMPROCESS working directory see SIMPROCESS Working Directory logs when this happens Models can function as senders and receivers however all receiver models must have unique ports SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 170 Entity Control Activities specified on the Remote Transfer tab of the Run Settings Also note that communication delays can impact the effectiveness of the Remote Transfer capability For the user with Java programming experience an external application can be written that sends the same information to a receiving model The application must create an instance of RemoteTransferEntity in package com simprocess sp entity which is in simprocess jar located in the SPSYSTEM directory The constructor takes five parameters modelName String The name of the receiving model e transferName String The name of the receiving transfer e simTime double The time to release the new Entity instance 0 0 for the current simulation time of the receiving model e timeUnit String The time unit associate with simTime Must bea valid SIMPROCESS time unit e sendingTransferName String The name of the sending Transfer Activity For an external application any valid String will suffice Call the public method addAttribute String name Ob
78. to 158 Branch On 163 copying in Transform activity 161 User Defined Distributions Procedures 118 Two methods of creation 118 v Verify Model command 110 View function 91 View Menu 56 60 Activities Hide 59 Activity Names 59 Ascend 56 Connector Names 59 Descend 56 Go To Top 56 Pad Names 59 Refresh 60 Resources 59 View 1 to 1 60 Zoom In 60 Zoom Out 60 viewing higher levels 112 viewing lower levels 112 W Window Menu 72
79. to resize the icon in a non proportional way The values represent pixels The Default Size button sets the Icon Width and Icon Height to the default size of the icon Choose the Show Handles button if you would like to drag to resize the object Multiple objects can be resized at the same time by having multiple items selected when choosing Resize Important Note An object cannot be resized smaller than 10 x 10 pixels Thus if numbers are entered that are smaller the object will be resized to 10 x 10 Also Background Text objects cannot be resized using Resize The font properties must be changed to resize Background Text gt Icon Width 32 E Icon Height 32 Default Size Show Handles The following image shows three processes after Show Handles was selected l zws LL File Edit Layout View Create Define Simulate Report Experiment Tools Window Help aS sBMxn Fte CGH T au OOT 2 Turn on resize handles SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 28 SIMPROCESS Termi nology and Menus Switch Activity To Switch Activity To changes an activity from one type to another This menu item is only displayed when one and only one activity is selected on the layout Processes do not activate this menu item Items that are in common between the old activity type and the new activity type are transferred to the new activity Since some activities allow multipl
80. use local attributes when selecting plots for an attribute Also if an attribute is an array attribute plots will be created for each member of the array m gt Global Attribute Properties Name Mode Value Totaltime Real 0 Array Dimension 0 X l Cancel Help Set Plot Properties Model Parameter F Do Not Reset Before Each Replication Comment Statistics Types Observation Based Report Requests _ Real Time Histogram Plot Time Weighted _ Real Time Trace Plot Real Time Meter Plot Real Time Thermometer Plot Standard Report Setting Plot Properties Each item that can have plots has a Set Plot Properties button The properties depend on the type of plot When plots are deselected any properties set are lost The properties must be reset if the plot is selected again Also on the Real Time Plots dialog for Entities Resources Activities Connectors and Time Stamps there is a Delete Properties button This button will remove the plot properties from SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 260 Real Time Plots selected plots without deselecting the plots Trace and Histogram Properties For Trace and Histogram plots this button sets the plot title sets the X axis legend sets the Y axis legend hides the plot at the start of the simulation and depending on plot type sets X axis type and the units for the X axis and Y axis For histogram plots the
81. version prior to 4 2 will no longer replay The animations must be recorded again Post Simulation Animation Toolbar Post simulation recording and playback is controlled by the post simulation animation toolbar The post simulation animation button displays and hides the post simulation animation toolbar The button is to the right of the Animation Speed slider on the System Toolbar The toolbar displays at the bottom of the SIMPROCESS layout Post Simulation Animation 4 SIMPROCESS Users Manual 215 Post Simulation Animation File Edit Layout View Create Define Simulate Report Experiment Tools Window Help DEES YOOxn Be 3 Gt Tr B OOE aoao B gt l l Help Desk Staffing Levels o hee ill 2 gt Save Wait for Bi Bl h syailable of s S Technician x a Generate Phone Calls Reneged Calls oo o9 osp aD f 4 Q ns Ri ATu Answer Questions 6 o Completed Calls fel Number of calls on hold 00 Call Type Hof Calls Answered Balked Reneged Type A 00 00 ooo ooo Type B 00 000 000 000 fos r Type 000 000 000 000 K DE A X ik 4 m r EA b BU 4 bb Post Simulation Animation Toolbar The two buttons on the left are for recording and the remainder are for playback Open File for Playback Set Record File Stop Rewind 4 4 Ed E gt HEIA f f t f Record On Off Play Pause Fast Forward Recording an An
82. will serve as the container or parent Entity An Entity of this type is created and all other Entities become children of the parent Rank Method sets the rank method of the queue for the Entities waiting at the Gate The default is First In First Out The rank methods are First In First Out First In Last Out Earliest Created First Latest Created First Highest Priority Value First Lowest Priority Value First Highest Attribute Value First Lowest Attribute Value First The Attribute field will be active if Highest Attribute Value First or Lowest Attribute Value First is selected Select the desired attribute from the list If the selected attribute is a local Entity instance or Entity type attribute a run time error will occur if an Entity enters that does not have the selected attribute defined Threshold Release On Off Enables disables the Threshold Release feature Threshold Release is on when the check box is selected Threshold Quantity The threshold number of Entities to accumulate and release when the Threshold Release is checked on Trigger Release Release All Releases all the accumulated Entities when a Trigger Entity has been received on the Trigger Pad Quantity The number of Entities to release when a Trigger Entity has been received on the Trigger Pad This is used with the Trigger Release policy The value can be a constant integer or can be derived from a statistical distribution Sequence Number Attempt
83. 0 4 0 2 0 0 o 10 20 30 40 E P Stream identifies the random number stream used to seed the distribution More can be learned about statistical distributions and random number streams in Chapter 3 Statistical Modeling Constructs beginning on page 114 SIMPROCESS Users Manual 91 Delay Activity Delay Activity Delay Activities common building blocks found in most models have two functions they represent the passage of time during simulation and define the Resources required to perform a task The cycle time of an Entity traversing the model is the sum of the delays it encounters i e the time spent at the Activities in its path time spent traversing Connectors any hold time for a condition to be met and the wait time for any Resources CESS o a General Resources J Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block I Documentation I Counts OK Name Customer Service V Show Name T Use Text Block Cancel la Hel Icon i Delay lad p i Icon Set Default Z New Entity New Resource Global Attributes Duration Entity Value Nor 10 0 1 0 1 ea Eniity Type Units Hours EA Resource Model __ Collect Activity Statistics E Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment L O d The Resources tab is where the Resources required to perform an Activity are specified See Chapter 5 Resource Modeling Constructs beginning on page
84. 3 Start Date 107 starting 110 stopping 95 stopping temporarily 112 Simulation menu item 112 Simulation Output Display Standard Report 243 Split Activity 173 174 178 Standard Output Report 243 Static Text 197 statistical distributions specifying 90 91 Statistical Output Connector Statistics 256 Custom PlotsReal Time Plots Custom Plots 270 Define Global Statistics Collection 69 Define Real Time Plots 70 Define Real Time PlotsReal Time Plots 259 Display Standard Report 113 Displaying Real Time PlotsReal Time Plots displaying 263 Entity Statistics 246 Process Activity Statistics 253 Resource Statisitces 250 Simlation Results File 28 1 Stream 91 Sub Processes 101 103 definition of 14 See also processes sub processes Swimlanes 47 Synchronize Activity 156 157 T Tabular Distributions Procedures 119 template for Document file 84 Terminology 14 Text Block 85 Show Text 85 Threshold Quantity of Gate activity 155 Threshold Release option of Gate activity 155 Time Stamps Definition of 63 Tools Menu 71 Transfer Activity 166 169 Transform Activity 159 161 Number of Entities Output 159 Output Entity Type 160 Trigger Assemble option of Assemble activity 148 150 Trigger pad of Gate activity 153 Trigger Release Quantity of Gate activity 155 Triggered Release Gate activity policy 153 155 U Unbatch Activity 152 152 153 Unbatch Nested Batches 152 User Defined Attributes and Assign Activity 158 assigning values
85. 3 613 0 0169 3 995 0 0277 43 _ ModelFit Alternatives ModelFit Warnings Select Alternative None A table of the values can be displayed by selecting the details button next to the Fitted Distribution field By selecting the View button the dialog allows viewing a Continuous or Discrete based on selected Type plot of the empirical distribution Note that changes to the Name Type or Stream are not saved SIMPROCESS User s Manual 129 User Defined Distributions Plot for AutoFit1 10 0 175 0 9 0 150 aD 0 125 075 5 a 0 6 4 0 100 2 3 05 9 4 3 amp 0 075 0 4 g z 0 050 3 F 0 2 0 025 0 1 0 000 0 0 zoa Ss Gk et Sn OL 11 gt a Value PDF CDF SIMPROCESS Users Manual 130 Input Sources Input Sources Input Sources operate similarly to distributions in that they return a value However the value that is returned is retrieved from an external source There are three types of external sources that can be used as Input Sources File Spreadsheet and Database Selecting Input Sources on the Define menu displays the dialog for managing all three types of input sources r Define Input Sources File Spreadsheet Database Close Hep File Input Source A File Input Source crea
86. 9 Show All Names 59 Show Local Names 59 connectors Auto Label 164 Branch Activities and 161 changing attributes 164 defined 75 names displaying 76 164 Properties dialog box 164 converting entities from one type to another 159 Create Menu 60 Activities 60 Background Graphic 60 Background Text 60 Processes 60 cycle time definition of 14 Dispose activity and 95 ending 95 reports 247 255 257 D Define Menu 61 64 Attributes 63 Distributions 62 Entities 61 Functions 62 Model Description 64 Resource Downtimes 62 Resources 61 Seeds 59 Templates 64 Time Stamps 63 Delay Activity 92 92 93 Delay Duration for Assemble activities 150 for Unbatch activities 153 Delay Time field 92 delay time specifying 92 93 deleting objects 81 Displaying ABC Reports 227 Dispose Activity 95 distributions defining standard and tabular 62 viewing graphically 91 Document command template for 84 Documentation Model Description 64 printing 26 Downtimes defining 62 Duplicate 27 Duration for Assemble activities 150 Dynamic Label 197 E Edit Activity Brower 34 Edit Menu 26 40 Clear 27 Copy 27 Cut 27 Duplicate 27 Model Search 37 Paste 27 Preferences 29 Properties 40 Resize Select All 27 Undo 26 Entities adding 96 99 assembling 148 branching on priority 163 branching on type of 163 changing type of Transform Activity 159 combining 148 coordinating release of 156 copying 99 cycle time 95 defined 74 defini
87. Accept Entity Expression of the Master Process Yes l No The active alternative of a Process can be changed by right clicking on a Process If the Process is a copy of a Master Process the alternatives can be viewed but the active alternative cannot be changed Changing the active alternative of a Master Process will change the active alternative of all copies If a copy is made of a Master Process copy the pasted Process will also be a copy of the Master Process If a Master Process is cut the links to the copies will be lost even if the Master Process is pasted back into the model A warning is displayed before the cut occurs SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 104 Defining Resources and Processes i Confirm Process4 is a Master Process Cutting will lose links to copies Continue If the copies are not removed the links to the Master Process are lost and are not restored even if the deletion of the Master Process is undone However if the copies are removed along with the Master Process when Undo is selected the Master Process and copies at the same level as the Master Process are restored with the links intact Note that if a copy is at a different level of the model from the Master Process Undo must be selected at that level for the copy to be restored The undo of the Master Process deletion should occur before the undo of any copy deletions at different levels If a
88. Activity Number Entities Waiting Number Entities On Hold Number Entities Processing Number Entities Accepted Number Entities Released Number Entities Balked Entity Cycle Time Entity Wait Time Entity Processing Time Entity Hold Time Find ActivityProcess F Named E Of Type nde Assemble With Icon ie Assemble Find Activity Find All Ignore Case X v Icon Set Default Expand All Collapse All Select All Deselect All Add Values Control click to select or deselect multiple values ag Uses Resources if j Has Expressions Connector displays a hierarchical tree of the model displaying only Processes Process Alternatives and Connectors Once a Connector has been selected the values available for plotting for that item appear The values that can be plotted for Connectors are Number Entities Traveling and Entity Cycle Time The hierarchical tree can be searched with the same options that are on the Connector Browser page 36 The difference is there is a Find All option When selected all Connectors that match the search criteria are displayed When Add Values is clicked the selected statistics are added for all items in the group ustomer Service E TopProcessO BAI is Conn1 is Conn2 H Z Generate Calls _ Process Calls Patt Ca is Software Sales Call is Hardware Service Calls i Software Service Calls is Conn44
89. By State When Available in the Standard Report The remaining Group By options depend on the type of component selected Each component has the option to group by the component type For example if the Activity tab is selected there will be an Activity Group By option There may also be other options Again if the Activity tab is selected and there are Activity by Entity statistics collected for at least one of the selected Activities there will be an Entity Group By option Since Resources can have statistics collected by Activity and by Shift additional Group By options can include Activity and Shift Below is the dialog for Activities when there are Activity by Entity statistics SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 238 Simulation Results a B Ju al f Create Charts Se Select Charts Group By Bar Chart Replication cancel _ Total Accepted Stacked Bar Chart Statistic Remaining In Activity E Pie Chart Value Type p Total Exited Pareto Chart Average Total Not Processed Std Dev Chart Std Dev Entity Count By State Min Max Chart Minimum Total In Activity Chart Options Maximum Processing 2 Dimensional Activity Wait For Resources D 3 Dimensional ay l Hold For Conditions Display Values Display Options TEE Display Value Table Display All Charts AE Display Chart Options Select Charts to Display Color LightGrey v Display Options Each chart is displ
90. CESS User 5 Manual 183 Defining Resources the characteristics of the Type selected will be created The pre defined type is a default Resource One unit of resource e No downtime defined e No costs defined e No Attributes or Expressions defined See Resource Downtime for more information on Resource Downtime Click on Add to define a new Resource Resource Properties x General Cost Downtime Atributes Expressions Name Sales Rep Units 4 ica Fractional Usage Consumable Collect Resource Statistics F Collect Resource by Activity Statistics Collect Resource by Shift Statistics Comment Cancel Help Document E ri On the Resource dialog Name is any unique name identifying the Resource Define the sales clerk staff and name the Resource Sales Rep NOTE Special characters such as single quotes or should not be used in the Name of a Resource This adversely impacts statistics and cost data collection cc 99 Units identifies the initial capacity of the Resource If the Resource is not consumable capacity is constant throughout the simulation Ifthe Resource is consumable capacity will vary over the length ofthe simulation This fluctuation in capacity will be reflected in the capacity statistics in the Standard Report Number of Units of a Resource can also be specified with a single lin
91. Define Time Stamps SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 80 Adding and Editing Activities Adding and Editing Activities Adding Objects to the Layout Begin by adding a Generate Activity to the model Click once on the Generate Activity button Next point and click on the SIMPROCESS layout A Generate Activity icon is added at that location Press and hold the Shift key while clicking on the layout to add several activities of the same type i e Generate Each time the layout is clicked a Generate icon is added to the layout Release the Shift key before dropping the last icon or click once on the Select tool to deactivate the Generate button Removing Objects from the Layout Select an object such as an Activity icon from the layout and press the Delete key Several items may be removed at one time by drawing a rectangle around the objects and pressing Delete or selecting Edit Clear from the menu or the popup menu Common Activity Input Fields Activity Properties dialogs have the following common input fields Name is the name chosen to identify the Activity This name appears below the Activity and it can be moved on the layout Icon identifies the graphic icon representing the Activity Comment is a one line comment about the Activity This comment appears in the status bar when the Activity is selected The comment can contain hypertext that use the protocols http https or file only file is recognized To inclu
92. Hardware Sales Software Sales Hardware Service Software Service Expert SW Advice Expert HW Advice Prepare Shipment Accounting Join Family Average Cycle Time E Total Time Activity Order There may be times whenan Activity in a Gantt chart is shown to precede in time Activities that actually precede the Activity Below is a view of the Purchase Order Process of the BPEL Purchase Order demonstration model Note that the Join Activity Wait for Pricing Shipping and Scheduling follows three parallel Processes However since there is a connector directly from the Split Activity to the Join Activity SIMPROCESS User s Manual 213 Activity Gantt Chart the Gantt chart displays the Join Activity at the same time as the first Activity in Scheduling Initiate Production Scheduling and the first Activity in Pricing Initiate Price Calculation Also note that the first Activity in Shipping with cycle time Decide On Shipper shows a starting time later than the beginning of the simulation This is because of the multiple incoming connectors to the flow within Shipping Activity Gantt Chart a BPEL Purchase Order Replication 1 Simulation Time 00 00 01 00 02 00 03 00 04 00 05 00 06 00 07 00 08 00 Wait for Pricing Shipping and Scheduling s Initiate Price Calculation 1 i Initiate Production Scheduling 4 I Wait for Decide On Shipper 4 j
93. IMPROCESS model should not use External schedules along with a TimeServer This can lead to unpredictable results See Adding an External Schedule for more information on External schedules It is not strictly necessary for all SIMPROCESS players to use the same Number of Replications or to have the same setting for Reset System both discussed on page 138 However it s strongly suggested that all SIMPROCESS players ina group use the same Number of Replications and Reset System settings Remote Transfer The Transfer Activity can transfer Entities between two different layouts within the same model or SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 145 Run Settings between two or more different models The latter scenario is a Remote Transfer See Transfer Activity beginning on page 166 for more information on the Transfer Activity The Remote Transfer tab specifies the communication port to use if the model contains Transfer Activities that are receiving Entities from another model It defaults to 26200 meses D E Run Settings I I Debug Traces Expression Options Time Server Remote Transfer Random Numbers Port 1024 65535 26200 es Help Random Numbers Sets the type of random number generation to use for the simulation See Random Number Generation on page 116 Random Numbers Legacy Mersenne Twister SIMPROCESS Users Man
94. Icon Dispose Z f Help Icon Set Default ed New Entity New Resource i d The Dispose Activity Properties dialog contains only one unique field Maximum Entity Count Use this field to set a limit to the number of Entities that can be disposed of at the Dispose during a simulation The simulation ends if this limit is reached End a simulation after 1 000 customer orders are processed by setting Maximum Entity Count to 1 000 Leaving Maximum Entity Count undefined or setting a value of 0 or none indicates that there is no limit SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 95 Defining an Entity Defining an Entity A particular type of Entity or a particular instance of an Entity may be referred to in the model When an Entity type is referred to all Entities of a particular type e g customer orders are also referred An Entity instance refers to an individual Entity a single customer order Defining Entities in SIMPROCESS defines a type SIMPROCESS generates instances of that Entity during a simulation run Define Entities in the following manner 1 Click on Define on the SIMPROCESS menu and then select Entities from the pull down menu or click on the Define Entities button on the Model Toolbar 2 Click on Add to define a new Entity f Entity Type Properties S EntitvExoressions Entity Type Attributes l Entity Type Expressions General Entity Attributes cance Name Customer Order l Hel
95. Jan 13 Jan 15 Jan 17 Jan 19 Jan Purchasing Processes Select Supplier Negotiate Terms Prepare Purchase Order Place Purchase Order Audit Invoice Average Cycle Time m Total Time Wait for Resource Time W Processing Time Average Cycle Time or Maximum Cycle Time can be used to create the chart If Average of Replications is selected and Maximum Cycle Time is selected the maximum value will be the maximum of the replication averages If Collect Activity by Entity Statistics is selected in Define Global Statistics Collection before the simulation run Use Time By Entity will be active If Use Time By Entity is selected the list of Entities will be active The Activities in the chart will be the Activities from the selected Activities in the tree that have cycle time for the selected Entity SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 207 Activity Gantt Chart Select Replication Replication 1 Replication 2 Select Processes and Activities t Purchasing Top Layout alt Generate Purchase Reques E amp L Purchasing Processes _ Decentralized Product bas i lt Which product Product A Eraltt i g Audit Invoic RU Place Purc ali Prepare Pt Negotiate A Select Sup BB GetResou i n Free Resourc E Product B Chart Options V Display Total Time oO Display Processing Time E Display Wait for Resource Time E Display Hold for Conditi
96. Label check box applies only to Connectors from Branch Activities The Name will be generated by SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS uses entries in the Connector Detail dialog box depending on the Entity Type Connectors and Branch Activities There are additional fields that appear in the Connector detail dialog box when the Connector is connecting a Branch Activity to another Activity or Process When a Connector emanates from a Branch Activity use the Branch Connector Properties dialog box to specify the branching parameters The corresponding Connector Properties are based on the type of Branch selected in the Branch Activity Properties dialog Entity Type Select the type of the Entities that should flow along this Connector from the combo box Probability Enter the probability a number between 0 0 and 1 0 that the Entity will flow on this Connector Priority Enter the Entity priority number to branch on Values are from 1 to 100 When Entities are contending for Resources Entities with a higher priority get to use available Resources first The higher the number the higher the Entity s priority Attribute The first line shows the name of the Attribute selected in the Branch Properties box Branching can be based on the equality of numbers strings booleans or on ranges of numbers If the SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 164 Entity Control Activities selected Attribute is a local Entity instance or Entity Type
97. Layouts in Current Model Clear Current Layout Setting Clear All Layout Settings Current Layout Size Default L J Width is the width of the layout in pixels 640 minimum Height is the height of the layout in pixels 480 minimum Default Setting either saves the entered width and height as the session default Set as Default and causes this size to be saved for use in future SIMPROCESS sessions or it removes the saved session setting Remove Default Setting so that future SIMPROCESS sessions will use the 925 by 575 size The setting used for the remainder of the current SIMPROCESS session unless changed again via this dialog will be the one specified here Apply to Current Model enables the following four options Current Layout Only applies the entered values only to the active layout The specified size of the current layout will be stored with the model when the model is saved All Layouts in Current Model stores the entered values with all layouts in the active model so that they become permanent if the model is saved Clear Current Layout Setting removes a previously specified layout size for the current layout so that the layoutis subsequently redrawn when necessary using the current session layout size SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 4 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Clear All Layout Settings removes stored layout sizes for all layouts of the current model
98. None bd a Entity Type units _ T0 0 80 10 0 a Uni 0 0 10 0 Wei 1 0 1 0 as Models MyErlang TabularDist 3 Database1 Filet bi Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment E d In the above example the specified Input Source will return a delay value for each Entity that enters the Activity Note that no error will occur if the next value is not a valid number the end of the file is reached File Input Source there are no more rows with data Spreadsheet Input Source or there are no more values in the result set Database Input Source Zero is returned instead Since Input Sources are part of the SIMPROCESS distribution list they can also be used in Assign Activ ities see Assign Activity to set user defined Attributes see User Defined Attributes In an Assign Activity if the Attribute being assigned is of type STRING or BOOLEAN then Input Sources can return a value that is not a number If the Attribute is a STRING Attribute then any value from the external source is converted to a STRING if necessary and assigned to the Attri bute If the Attribute is a BOOLEAN Attribute then any value from the external source that is not the value TRUE will result in FALSE being assigned to the BOOLEAN Attribute For a STRING Attribute an empty STRING is assigned if there is an error with the external source or the end of the external so
99. Number column if included Parent Process column and the Alternative column will SIMPROCESS Users Manual 19 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus be empty The Export Options are 1 Include Duration Adds Duration and Time Unit columns which contain the selected duration distribution and selected duration time unit for the Activity If the Activity cannot have a duration there are no values for these columns 2 Include Resources Adds a Resources column which contains the Resources assigned to the Activity If there are multiple Resources assigned they are listed separated by a comma Each assigned Resource is followed in parentheses by the number of units requested For example if one unit of Resource was required the column would contain Resource1 1 0 If there are no Resources assigned or the Activity cannot have Resources assigned there is no value for this column 3 Include Pool Swimlane If there are Pools defined in the model two columns are added Pool and Swimlane If only Swimlanes are defined in the model then only a Swimlane column is added An Activity or Process is considered to be in a Pool or Swimlane if it is totally contained within the Pool and or Swimlane If any por tion of the Activity or Process is outside of a Pool and or Swimlane the Pool and or Swimlane columns will be empty 4 Include Inactive Alternatives Adds Activities and Processes from inactive as well as active Alternatives When it is not sel
100. Replication 2 i Saen KA Product B Observation Based Save Product C isti Replication 4 EA Produ Statistic Value Replication 5 e Generated Ga emaining In System je Total Processed 7 l Replication 7 Replication 8 Replication 9 Replication 10 o Expand All Collapse All Observation based time statistics display in the time unit selected in Results Time Unit Changing the selected time unit will update the statistics accordingly View Results Statistics for an individual Activity Process or Connector can be accessed directly by right clicking on the item and choosing View Results from the popup menu View Results will only be active if statistics were collected for the selected item As with View Simulation Results the replications are listed By default Replication 1 is selected The statistics are displayed in the tabs on the right SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 230 Simulation Results Saving Results The Save button is enabled when one or more replications have been selected and one or more component items have been selected Multiple replications and multiple component items can be selected by pressing the Control or Shift key during selection The Save button displays a dialog with options for saving the selected results to a file fe al 2 Save Results Select File Type Cancel Comma Separated Value
101. S Other Chart Options Right clicking on a chart displays the following menu SIMPROCESS User s Manual 241 Simulation Results Properties Copy Save as gt Print Zoomin gt ZoomOut gt Auto Range gt The Properties item allows changes to the chart title domain axis range axis and appearance Copy places the chart on the system clipboard Save as offers the option to save the chart as a PNG file Print prints the chart This can be used to save the chart to a PDF if that is a print option Zooming can be done on the Range axis and can be done with Zoom In and Zoom Out The Range axis can also be zoomed by selecting and dragging over the range of interest with the mouse Auto Range restores the chart to its original view SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 242 Standard Report Standard Report After the simulation run has completed the Standard Report can be displayed to view output statistics for the model The Standard Report includes all statistics collected during the simulation From the Report menu bar choose Display Standard Report This will open the Display Standard Report dialog In the Report Replications list box if the model ran for multiple replications an individual Replication the Average of All Replications or the Sum of All Replications can be selected Typically for runs of multiple replications the Average of All Replications report is most useful Calculate Confide
102. S Users Manual 111 Running a Simulation Model Parameters and Process Alternatives Model Parameters Process Alternatives Parameter Value Cancel J NumProdAPersonnel 7 Help NumProdBPersonnel 5 NumProdCPersonnel 5 Reset All Reset J Description Default Mode Double click Value cells to edit them Running a Simulation with Scenarios If the model has Scenarios defined and Activate Scenarios is selected on the Simulate menu when the simulation run is started SIMPROCESS will prompt for a run Scenario See Running Scenarios for more information Allowable Actions During a Simulation While a simulation is running a Process can be descended into to view Entity movement within the Process hierarchy Descending into a Process is done by using Descend on the View menu clicking the down arrow on the tool bar right clicking on a Process and choosing Descend or by double clicking on a Process To ascend to a higher level of the model hierarchy choose Ascend on the View menu click the up arrow on the tool bar right click on blank area and choose Ascend or double click on any blank area of the model layout Choose Go To Top instead of Ascend to ascend to the top level of a model The Simulate option on the menu bar causes the following options to occur e Pause the simulation Resume simulation after a pause e Stop the simulation before its scheduled end e Click on
103. SS Users Manual 245 Custom Statistics Custom Statistics SIMPROCESS provides the ability to add custom statistics to the Standard Report for analyzing the performance of business Processes Performance measures such as cycle time Activity costs and Resource utilization can be calculated by SIMPROCESS This chapter describes the types of statistics available and how to define display print and export them Entity Statistics Entity statistics provide detailed information about the numbers of Entities existing in the model during a simulation and the amount of simulation time cycle time that Entities require to pass through the model SIMPROCESS provides five types of Entity statistical reports e Total Count e Entity Count by State e Entity Cycle Time by State Real time Plots e Attribute Value Total Count Entity Count by State and Entity Cycle Time by State are selected either from the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog by choosing Collect Entity Statistics or by choosing Collect Entity Statistics when each Entity is defined If Collect Entity Statistics on the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog is selected then the above statistics other than Real time Plots and Attribute Value will be in the Standard Report for every Entity defined Ifonly statistics for selected Entities are desired then the global Collect Entity Statistics should not be selected and the Collect Entity Statistics on the Entity Def
104. SS collects statistics by default for all Entities and all Resources SIMPROCESS also allows the definition of custom statistics to gather more specific information about amodel The Entity and Resource statistics gathered will usually be sufficient when starting a model As the focus of the analysis is sharpened and the model becomes detailed custom statistics will be added to narrow in on the performance measures of most interest Simulation Results and the Standard Report offer a quick and complete view of the statistics collected during the simulation Further real time plots see Real Time Plots beginning on page 259 and SIMPROCESS Dashboards see SIMPROCESS Dashboards can be viewed a Simulation Results file containing all the statistics gathered from the model can be exported in a tab delimited format see Simulation Results File and results can be exported to a database see SIMPROCESS Database Custom Reports see Custom Reports allow model definitions and simulation results to be combined into formal reports that can be viewed within SIMPROCESS and then saved in various formats Scenario Reports compare results within or across Scenarios see Scenarios SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 228 Simulation Results Simulation Results After the simulation run has completed the statistical results of the simulation can be viewed Statistics collected during the simulation can be viewed by selecting
105. Send Transfer When Send Remote is selected the Connection button displays the Remote Send Transfer Properties dialog m Remote Send Transfer Properties IP Address localhost OK Port 1024 65535 26200 Canca Receiving Model Name Help Receiving Transfer Name Send Options Remote Generation Time Value None v Units Hours v Copy Global Entity Instance Attributes Copy Creation Time Copy Entity Priority x a IP Address which defaults to localhost is the IP Address where the associated Receive Transfer is located Port which defaults to 26200 is the port specified on the Remote Transfer tab of the Run Settings of the model containing the associated Receive Transfer See Remote Transfer on page 145 Receiving Model Name is the name of the model receiving the transferred Entities Receiving Transfer Name is thename ofthe Transfer Activity in the model that will receive the transferred information The name of this Transfer Activity must be unique within the model and it must be specified as Receive and Remote The remaining items are optional Remote Generation Time is the time that the receiving Transfer Activity should release the Entity associated with the transfer When None is selected as the distribution the Receive Transfer Activity releases the associated Entity when the transferred information is received Unless the Time Server page 142 is used fo
106. The icon button on the right shows the default size of the icon Click the icon button to see the actual size a Icon Preview esl a Width Height 32 GIF JPG and PNG files may be imported and used as custom icons for Activities Adding a Comment Use the Comment field to add a brief comment describing the purpose of this Activity This field is optional Printing Process Documentation or Model Documentation will include comment in the document The comment will appear on the status bar when an Activity is selected Documenting the Activity The Document button opens an editor in which descriptive information may be added about the Activity The editor opens with a preformatted template which is changeable See document Subdirectory Print Document text using the SIMPROCESS Print facility Labeling with Text Blocks The Text Block tab adds text to the inside of the icon on the layout Text Block labels facilitate understanding of the Activity or Process in relation to the model Add descriptive labels to an icon by performing the following tasks SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 84 Adding and Editing Activities 1 Click on Text Block tab fi al Delay Properties General Resources Attributes Expressions EventLogs Text Block Documentation Counts oK ra Help umm Help New Entity Font Attributes E Font Name Serif X New Resource Global Attributes Size
107. Time Server SIMPROCESS models have the ability to let an outside agent manage the advancement of simulation time The TimeServer is a separate application which can manage simulation time for multiple participants It can be run on the same machine as SIMPROCESS or on another system See SIMPROCESS TimeServer pdf inthe timeserver directory for more information including how to configure and run the TimeServer application The timeserver directory is in the SIMPROCESS working directory The TimeServer supports one or more groups of players Each group has a unique name among those handled by a single instance of the TimeServer and each group manages its own time independently of all other groups Thus fora SIMPROCESS model to use the TimeServer it must join a predefined TimeServer group as a player Time Server Settings gt Run Settings ___Run Settings I _CostPeriods Debug Traces o Expression Options Time Server Remote Transfer Random Numbers Cancel Help Use Time Server Player Name Synchronize to Nearest Hours Sf E d The Use Time Server option is initially not selected When selected IP Address Port Group Player Name and Synchronize to Nearest become enabled Values for IP Address Port Group and Player Name are required when using the TimeServer while Synchronize to Nearest is optional SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 142 Run Settings
108. Type is changed If the size of the icon is changed while editing the Entity Type the new size is retained until the icon is changed When Specify Default Icon Size is not selected the icon size defaults to the default size of the selected icon Default Icon Set sets the default Icon Set for new Entity Types Toolbars The display of the System Toolbar and Model Toolbar is optional SIMPROCESS User s Manual 32 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Appearance Sets the overall appearance of SIMPROCESS System specifies the default appearance for the operating system Metal and Nimbus are other styles The selection is applied when OK is selected Counts Sets the default options for displaying Activity counts See Animation Settings beginning on page 65 and Setting Activity Count Options beginning on page 87 Other Preferences Time Between Auto Saves determines the approximate amount of time between automatic saves of the model The automatic save feature creates a file with the same name as the current model except with an identifier number assigned by the system added along with the extension tmp for example MyMode141123 tmp Ifthe currentmodelisnewand has notbeen saved the name ofthe temporary file will be the model s assigned name Model 1 Model 2 etc along with an identifier number and a tmp extension and will be located in the models directory NOTE The automatic save does not affect the bc
109. Unit Simulation Time Unit Hours RMI Port 1099 d Run Settings tab is used to set the run options for the simulation See Run Settings on page 137 Cost Periods tab defines cost periods for Activity based costing calculations See Setting Up Cost Periods on page 222 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 64 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Debug Traces tab defines trace files of entity actions for debugging purposes See Debug Traces on page 139 Expression Options tab offers options for the OUTPUT statement and the BREAKPOINT statement See Expression Options on page 140 Time Server tab allows the simulation time to be managed by the SIMPROCESS TimeServer See Time Server on page 142 Remote Transfer tab specifies the port to use for Remote Receive Transfer Activities See Transfer Activity on page 166 Random Numbers tab specifies the type of random numbers active for the simulation See Random Number Generation on page 116 Animation Settings ___ s gt Animation Settings V Show Clock Cancel V Show Counts SS Help V Show Entities v Update Dynamic Labels Animation Speed 1 100 20 0 g d Show Clock turns the simulation time clock on or off while the simulation is running Show Counts If Show Counts is turned on each Activity or Process may display one or more numbers above its icon and opti
110. Units indicates the quantity of the Resource to be added either in a real number or a statistical distribution The distribution can be selected from the pull down list of the Units field The Replenish to Capacity box indicates that a Resource should be replenished only up to the value specified in its Units field when the Resource was defined Note that Resources can also be replenished using expressions See Changing Resource Capacity With Expressions SIMPROCESS Users Manual 194 Preempting Lower Priority Entities Preempting Lower Priority Entities A higher priority Entity may preempt a lower priority Entity when the Resources are not available Selecting Preempt Lower Priority Entities on the Entity definition dialog will potentially cause all Entity instances of this type to interrupt Activities processing lower priority Entities J Entity Type Properties Entitv Expressions Entity Type Attributes Entity Type Expressions General Entity Attributes SSS Cance Name Rush Order Help Icon BlackDot a e e Document Icon Set Default Metadata Priority 10 Preempt Lower Priority Entities Collect Entity Statistics Comment E a In this example if a Rush Order Entity enters an activity that requires Resources and no Resources are available SIMPROCESS will check the Entities being processed If there is a lower priority Entity Processing the Processing will stop and
111. User s Manual Part A Functions and Features SIMPROCESS Release 5 CACI EVER VIGILANT Copyright 2002 2015 CACI INC FEDERAL All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without written permission from CACI The information in document is believed to be accurate in all respects However CACI cannot assume the responsibility for any consequences resulting from the use thereof The information contained herein is subject to change Revisions to this publication or new editions of it may be issued to incorporate such change SIMPROCESS is a registered trademark of CACI INC FEDERAL Table of Contents Organization of the SIMPROCESS Documentation Set ss00e 6 CHAPTER 1 Process Modeling and Analysis with SIMPROCESS 00000 9 What is SIMPPROCESS scscccacssssscscicssessnccasvesadsscssccascsucseadonsscseses 11 How Do You Use SIMPROCESS eessseeesooessoesssesssesssosssoossoossos 12 SIMPROCESS Editions ccccssccssosscccesssoscsnscossccscssooscsnesoes 13 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus scccsscssssseseees 14 CHAPTER 2 SIMPROCESS BASICS vvcivcsccedncncs ccdssvsvassassdsvecsustacieosssicas cesncasenasades 73 SIMPROCESS Components cssccccssccsssscccccssccsssessesseseees 74 Model POG ID aT vis scesecsscsvssessssosanessvsnsscacasnouscodeeanssectanvessscnsvereeassorse 79 Adding and Editing Activities ccsscssssccscsscss
112. X Hep J Icon Set Default z lt lt lt New Entity New Resource Alternative Sub Processes Global Attributes a Entity Copy SSS L copr a Eat Resource Remove Model V Master Process E Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment x d When OK is selected and there are no copies of the Process the Process is simply marked as a Master Process If there are copies the copies are updated with all property changes and with any changes made within the Process such as addition or deletion of Activities Copies of a Master Process can also be updated by right clicking on the Process and choosing Master Process Update Copies If Master Process on the Process properties is deselected when OK is clicked the copies of the Master Process will lose their link to the Master Process At this point the copies can be edited and changed A single copy can be unlinked from the Master Process by right clicking on the Process and choosing Master Process Copy Remove Master Link SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 103 Defining Resources and Processes The contents of a copy of a Master Process can be viewed but no changes can be made to the contents The properties of Activities and Processes within the copy can be viewed but any changes cannot be saved however the properties of a copy of a Master Process canno
113. a different Activity where a different task is performed on the order Defining a Split Activity When you add a Split Activity to the SIMPROCESS layout it has one input Pad and two output Pads attached The upper output Pad is named Clones the lower Pad is named Original if you double click on the Pads you will see their names in the Pad Detail dialog Use the Original Pad to route the original Entity to the next Activity in its path Use the Clones Pad SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 174 Entity Control Activities to route each of the split Entities to their next Activities An unlimited number of split Entities of different Entity types can be released at a Split Activity but all Entities emerge from the same Pad f Split Properties h General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts ee Name Split4 Show Name Use Text Block c Help Icon 3 Split v peg Balas New Entity iconSet Default v n New Resource Global Attributes Family Name Undefined Entity Entity Type Duration Resource Value None ee Model Units Hours z E Collect Activity Statistics F Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment p i Dialog Field Definitions The unique attribute of the Split Activity is Family Name This names the family of Entities being created The original Entity and its children can be identified by th
114. ack Entities Resources and Attributes so items cannot be deleted that are in use Models developed in releases 3 0 through 3 1 1 could have invalid cross references Recommend running this utility on models developed in release 3 0 through release 3 1 1 The action is applied to the active model Collect Model Metrics displays a list of metrics for the active model The metrics can be saved to a file Metrics include Model Name Number of each type of Activity Delay Generate etc Number of Process Alternatives Number of Entities Resources and Plots Number of each type of Expression Number of each type of Attribute SIMPROCESS Users Manual 71 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Icon Manager is used to import export and manage image files A single image file can be imported for use as an icon or multiple files such as a directory of image files can be imported See Importing Graphics Image Files on page 202 Manage Background Images is used to import export and manage background image files See Background Images on page 202 Window Menu This displays a list of open models It is used to change the active model Help Menu SIMPROCESSHelp F1 SIMPROCESS Manuals gt System Information About SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS Help displays a list of main help topics NOTE On Windows systems SIMPROCESS Help uses Internet Explorer To eliminate the need to give permissiontorunactive content open Inter
115. ad to be added to the activity Selecting Receive causes an output pad to be added to the activity Once the combination of Send or Receive and Local or Remote has been set it cannot be changed The Activity must be deleted and recreated if either option needs changing The default combination for a new Transfer Activity is Send and Local The Connection buttons operate differently based on the combination of Send or Receive and Local or Remote i E P Transfer Properties ees General Text Block Documentation Counts Name Transfer7 v Show Name Use Text Block Cancel Icon b Transfer x m9 Help J IconSet Default X New Entity Transfer Type R Se Receive lew Renouess Connection Type Connection Type Global Attributes Local Remote Local Remote Entity SS Entity Type Connection Connection AAA Resource Collect Activity Statistics Model Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment x _ Local Send Transfer Clicking the Connection button associated with Send Local brings up a modified version of the Activity Browser dialog See Activity Browser on page 34 for more information on using the Activity Browser This version includes a Cancel button SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 167 Entity Control Activities justice System TopProcess0 E A E Z Police Dept H City Attorney E Finance iD Funds Deposit H E Code Enforcement 4 _ Courthouse B Police Data alt
116. al distribution from a table of discrete data points 1 Select the Tabular tab Use this tab to Add Edit Copy or Remove Tabular Distributions 2 Choosing the Add Edit or Copy button brings up another dialog as shown below r R Table Properties Name TabularDist z Cancel Type Discrete Help Stream 1 a Prob Value View 0 0 o 0 impon 0 6 13 0 1 0 20 0 Add Row Delete Row Erase Cell Double click in cells to edit their contents E a Type in the Name any non blank User Distribution name It must be unique across all Distribu tions Input Sources and Functions Type is selected from the list box Choose either a Discrete or Continuous probability distribution function If Discrete is chosen only the exact values indicated in the right column will be chosen when the distribution is sampled If Continuous is chosen SIMPROCESS will interpolate from the specified Values and the probabilities associated with them To update the table point and click on the cell you wish to modify Type the number in the table cell directly Rows may be added and deleted by clicking on a cell and then choosing the appropriate button on the right The row will be added above the one selected The Erase Cell button causes the entry in the selected cell to be erased A table may also be populated by importing data from a text file using the Import button Choose the View button to see the PDF and
117. ame T Use Text Block Help Icon i Generate X l d Icon Set Default hd New Entity New Resource Entity ina Global Attributes Quantity 1 0 fe Entity Entity Type Family Name Undefined S 7 Resource Schedule Model Periodic1 d Add Periodic z Edit Copy Remove Collect Activity Statistics _ Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment e SSS l Click on the Entity pull down arrow to select the default type of Entity to be generated by this Generate Activity The default Entity type can be overridden in each schedule Entities may be defined using the New Entity command button on this dialog Use the Quantity field to specify the default number of Entities to be generated each time Entities SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 89 Generate Activity are released A specific number or probability distribution can be entered in the Quantity field or a selection may be made from the Quantity pull down list The default quantity can be overridden in each schedule Family Name may be used if there are multiple Connectors exiting the Generate See Multiple Generate Connectors for more information A periodic schedule is the default schedule The periodic schedule sets the interval and the time unit It will default to an interval of 1 0 and time unit of Hours These defaults can be changed by selecting the schedule Periodic and choosing Edit Change the name of the schedule
118. and its Connectors to it will not be visible on the layout Show All makes all Activities and their Connectors visible Show Attached makes all the Activities that are connected to a selected Activity visible By Resource allows you to view or edit resource Activity assignments By Time Stamp allows you to view or edit Time Stamp key assignments at Activities By Attribute allows you to view or edit Attribute usage at Activities Resources By Activity allows you to view or edit resource usage by Activity Activity Names These menu items only affect the display of Activity names The changes are not saved with the model Show All makes all Activity names visible throughout the model Hide All makes all Activity names invisible throughout the model Local shows or hides Activity names based on their individual properties set with the Properties dialog Show Name checkbox This is the default setting when a model is opened Connector Names These menu items only affect the display of connector names The changes are not saved with the model Show All makes all connector names visible throughout the model Hide All makes all connector names invisible throughout the model Local shows or hides connector names based on their individual properties set with the Properties dialog Show Name checkbox This is the default setting when a model is opened Pad Names These menu items only affect the display of Pad names The changes are n
119. and the object may be pasted onto a different part of the layout or into another open model using Edit Paste Connectors and Pads cannot be cut They can only be cleared Copy Copy places a copy of the selected object in the clipboard It will remain there until replaced by another object that is cut or copied Once a copy is made it can be pasted on the layout or into another model by using the Edit Paste command Paste Paste makes a copy of the object in the clipboard and pastes it onto the layout Multiple copies of an object can be pasted without additional copies being made Pasting items into a model different from the model where the copy or cut occurred can cause loss of entity attribute resource function or distribution references See Advantage of Templates Over Copy Paste for more information Duplicate Duplicate is a shortcut that copies a selected object from the layout and then does a paste to a position selected on the layout This combines Copy and Paste into one command This is useful when you want to quickly copy something on the layout and paste it somewhere else Clear Clear deletes a selected object without copying it to the clipboard Select All Select All selects all objects on the model layout SIMPROCESS Users Manual 27 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Resize Resize lets you resize a layout object You can resize the horizontal and vertical directions separately if you wish
120. are defined locally fora Process Activity then the reports must be selected where those attributes are defined Time Weighted Average This collects time weighted statistics for the selected Process Activity attributes Observation Based Average This collects observation based statistics for the selected Process Activity attributes Real Time Histogram Plot This displays a histogram of the attribute s values Real Time Trace Plot This displays a trace of the attribute s values Real Time Meter Plot This displays the attribute s value on a meter Real Time Thermometer Plot This displays the attribute s value on a thermometer Standard Report Displays the results in the Standard Report Connector Statistics Connector Statistics provide detailed information about the numbers of Entities entering and leaving particular Connectors during a simulation SIMPROCESS provides seven types of Connector statistics e Total Entity Counts e Total Entity Counts by Entity e Entity Count e Entity Count by Entity e Cycle Time e Cycle Time by Entity e Real time Plots The Connector statistics are limited in scope to specific Connectors in contrast to Entity statistics which encompass the entire model Cycle Time Total Entity Counts and Entity Count are selected globally from the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog by choosing Collect Connector Statistics or locally by choosing Collect Connector Statistics on t
121. as a model network Layout contains graphical representations of the Activities Processes and Connectors that make up a SIMPROCESS model The Entities only appear on the layout while the simulation is running The layout can be made to resemble the physical layout of a system or it can be closer in appearance to a flow diagram Model is a representation of the system being studied It is not intended to be an exact duplicate of the system but rather a simplified version that captures the relevant features Pads are small triangular graphic objects located along the border of an Activity or Process Pads are used for attaching Connectors to the inputs and outputs of the Activity Process Entities enter and exit Activities through input and output pads Alternative Process Sub Process Alternative Processes define alternative behaviors or flows of a SIMPROCESS User s Manual 14 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Process Multiple alternatives can be associated with a Process but only one can be active at a time Resources are the agents required to perform an Activity People computers and trucks are all examples of Resources Resources may be consumable e g oil or paper or reusable e g trucks Simulation is defined as the reproduction of the dynamic and random behavior ofa business Process with the goal of quantifying some key characteristics of the business Process Templates of Activities Processes and Resources ca
122. ater than or equal to one The evaluation of Column should also result in an INTEGER greater than or equal to one column A in a spreadsheet is column 1 The default behavior is for the row value to be incremented every time a value is requested from the spreadsheet Data is read from the specified worksheet from top to bottom If the value in the cell represented by First Row and Column is to be returned every time a value is requested then deselect Increment row for next value A run time error will occur if the specified Sheet does not exist Also if the spreadsheet is a Work book and a cell is read that contains a formula the formula is evaluated and the value returned SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 132 Input Sources Note that not all spreadsheet formula functions are supported A run time error will occur if an attempt is made to read a cell that contains an unsupported formula In an XML Spreadsheet the value calculated by the formula will be returned if it already exists in the file if not a run time error will result Thus in an XML Spreadsheet the formula is not evaluated at run time Database Input Source A Database Input Source creates a connection between SIMPROCESS and a database The Data base tab is used to manage Database connections Use this tab to Add Edit Copy or Remove a Data base Input Source Undo retrieves one that has been removed Selecting Add Edit or Copy brings up the dialog below r T
123. ating Model Parameters from User defined Attributes is covered in Creating a User Defined Attribute Model Parameters can be changed during a simulation run by selecting Change Model Parameters from the Simulate menu Running a Simulation that has Processes with Multiple Alternatives If the model has one or more Processes with multiple alternative sub processes see Alternative Sub Processes on page 101 when the simulation is started SIMPROCESS will prompt for selection of the active sub processes r x gt Select Process Alternatives Pe o N Po oN ees Select Process Select Alternative Run Change Request Process Cancel f jj 4 The Processes with multiple alternative sub processes are displayed on the left When a Process is selected the defined alternatives are displayed on the right Select the alternative sub process that should be active for the simulation If a Master Process page 103 has multiple alternatives the copies of the Master Process will not be displayed The selected alternative for the Master Process will be applied to all copies Simply click Run to accept the alternative sub processes already selected in the model Running a Simulation with Model Parameters and Process Alternatives If a model contains both Model Parameters and Processes with multiple alternative sub processes SIMPROCESS will prompt for both on a single dialog with a tab for each SIMPROCES
124. ationInformation TimeEstimation Duration Swimlanes Pools Pool Lanes BPEL Process creates an XML file that contains a Business Process Execution Language BPEL process constructed from SIMPROCESS metadata See the SIMPROCESS Metadata Manual for more information Ultimus creates an XML file compatible with the Ultimus XML Converter The XML file is created in the model s directory and the name of the file consists of the name of the model followed by _Ultimus xml The Ultimus XML Converter uses that XML file to create an Ultimus file w 1 for use in Ultimus BPM Studio See www ultimus com for more information on Ultimus Workpoint creates an XML file that can be used to create a WorkPoint archive file The WorkPoint archive file can be imported into WorkPoint to produce a WorkPoint process The XML file is created in the model s directory and the name of the file consists of the name of the model followed by _WorkPoint xml Note that a WorkPoint process created from a SIMPROCESS model contains minimal information and is merely intended to provide a starting point from which to begin implementing an actual WorkPoint work flow The table below shows the mapping of SSIMPROCESS Activities to WorkPoint objects SIMPROCESS Users Manual 22 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus SIMPROCESS WorkPoint Assemble Activity Assign Activity Batch Activity Branch Op
125. aximum time to perform the task Thus the fitted distribution should reflect those times In the example below 5 is the lowest possible value that the fitted distribution should return This means the task represented by the sample data has a minimum completion time of 5 minutes hours etc Note that if neither checkbox is selected then no information about the sample data is passed to Model Fit SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 124 User Defined Distributions 11 12 r Auto Fit Properties l Name AutoFit1 File Spreadsheet Database v Use File Data Source File Name sample dat Browse V Set Default Type v Set Default Bounds Enter Lower Bound Value Enter Upper Bound Value Simulation Options Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start V On Error Use Default Distribution Tri 5 0 12 0 100 0 1 Stream a Fitted Distribution ModelFit Alternatives Continuous 5 5 0 v Infinity X ad Suppress Warnings ModelFit Warnings E Cancel Help View Data Fit Now a When selected Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start causes the data sources to be read and the distribution to be fitted every time the model is run Note that fitting will also occur at the beginning ofa simulation if Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start is not selected and the Fitted Distribution field is empty Fit Now has not been executed An error will occur at simulation star
126. ayed in its own frame Display All Charts causes all charts created by the selected options to display Select Charts to Display lists all the charts created by the selected options Specific charts can then be selected to display This option should be used if there is potential for many charts to be created Charting Considerations Using the Charts function requires an understanding of the results selected for display The purpose ofthe various statistic types foreach component must be understood SIMPROCESS does not restrict what statistics can be displayed by each chart type Just because a chart can display results does not mean the chart actually makes sense The dimensions of the results to display must be understood For example at least one replication and one component must be selected in order to create a chart Replication and component are two dimensions The statistic categories of the selected statistics are a third dimension Thus there are at least three dimensions to the results The chart types offered support one or two dimensions Pie charts and Pareto charts display one dimension and the other chart types display two dimensions Consider the bar chart below Note that the legend has the name of the selected Entities Thus the Group By option was Entity The title of the chart is Cycle Time By State Replication 1 This means the statistics selected were from the Cycle Time By State statistic category and Replication 1 was selecte
127. because the Clone activity exists primarily to support pre SIMPROCESS version 4 0 models Since the cloned entities leaving the Clone activity are of the same type as the entity entering SIMPROCESS Users Manual 172 Entity Control Activities the activity the entity statistics for the type of the entering activity are affected by the creation of the cloned entities The entity statistics are skewed by the Clone activity The Split activity is the recommended activity for entity cloning since the cloned entity can be a different type of entity Thus the statistics for the original entity are not affected by the creation of cloned entities ja a q Al Clone Properties ol General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts Name Clone2 V Show Name T Use Text Block Cancel STE Help Icon 342 Clone X big o Icon Set Default v Newentity Copies per Connector 1 v e NewResource Entity Fields and Attributes Global Attributes All user defined entity attributes will be copied a OY Entity Type Entity priority will be copied a A LES Resource Copy Time Stamps ne Model Duration Value None v Units Hours NA E Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment L a Dialog Field Definitions Number of Copies per Connector is the number of Entities that will come out the Clones Pad into each Conn
128. bility of Resources is an important constraining factor in business processes A bank customer requires the help of a loan officer in order to submit a loan application e Ona manufacturing line a computer board cannot be populated with chips unless both an oper ator and a surface mounting tool are available The loan officer the operator and the surface mounting tools are Resources whose availability affects the activity in these examples SIMPROCESS provides the means for modeling Resources and for measuring the impact on the performance of a business process In addition variable and fixed costs associated with Resources may be used to measure Process costs and activity costs See Chapter 7 Activity Based Costing beginning on page 219 for more details This chapter describes how to e Define Resources Define the Resource requirements of Activities e Use Resource related activities such as Get Resource Free Resource and Replenish Resource SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 181 Resources and Simulation Resources and Simulation When an Entity arrives at an activity SIMPROCESS checks to see if any Resources are required to process it If Resources are required SIMPROCESS attempts to obtain them Once an activity gains control of one or more units of a Resource those Resource units are unavailable to any other activity The activity retains control of the Resource units until it finishes Processing the Entity
129. butions should be used Fortunately simulation results are usually not highly dependent on the choice of distributions A distribution with approxi mately the right shape should be adequate ModelFit which is used with the Auto Fits feature fits distributions to empirical data See Auto Fits Distributions on page 121 Common Distributions Poisson Used to model the number of arrivals where the quantity within a time frame is known Parameter Mean SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 116 Random Number Generation and Standard Distributions Exponential Used to model the time between arrivals Parameter Mean Normal Bell shaped curve avoid when mean is near zero Also the normal distribution is not usu ally a good distribution for service times since service times are usually skewed to the right Param eters Mean Standard Deviation Lognormal Can be good distribution for data that is skewed Parameters Mean Standard Devia tion Triangular Useful distribution for data that has the least amount of time the most likely time and the most amount of time it takes to perform a task Parameters Minimum Mode Maximum A complete listing of the statistical distributions available in SIMPROCESS is available in Appen dix D See Statistical Distributions SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 117 User Defined Distributions User Defined Distributions Selecting Distributions on the Define menu offers three methods
130. c Entity based on the sequence number if Remember Trigger is selected when an Entity enters the trigger pad and the specific Entity is not holding at the Gate Activity the Gate Activity will keep track of the requested sequence number So if the Entity with the requested sequence number enters after the trigger Entity it will continue on without holding at the Gate If Remember Trigger is not selected and the requested Entity is not holding at the Gate that trigger does nothing When the requested Entity subsequently enters the Gate it will remain in the Gate Note that at this point the only way to get the Entity to release is by having another Entity enter the trigger pad requesting that sequence number or Threshold Release is selected and the Threshold Quantity is met Specific Entities can also be released from a Gate by using the ReleaseEntity System Method See Methods ReleaseEntity Gate GetEntity EntityExists in Appendix F of the SIMPROCESS User s Manual for more information The Trigger can be released by using the FireTrigger System Method instead of having an Entity enter the trigger Pad The name of the Activity must be unique within the model for the system method to work properly Also a run time error will occur if Sequence Number is selected for Trigger Release and the distribution references an Entity Instance or Entity Type Attribute See SIMPROCESS System Methods Duration is the time specified for a Gate Activ
131. cation Standard Distributions a Name MyErlang OK Eri 5 0 1 am eee Help 3 Using the distribution text box either change the parameters of the distribution within the parentheses or select the details button three dots This button opens a dialog containing the parameter descriptions e g Erlang parameters rc al Distribution Details me Mean 5 0 5 Cancel ae p Hee Stream 1 View E z 4 To see the PDF Probability Distribution Function and CDF Cumulative Distribution Func tion plotted choose the View button from the dialog shown in Step 3 The PDF is labeled on the left y axis the CDF on the right y axis 5 The graph can be saved to a file To continue select Close from the graph s File pull down menu 6 Once the data is entered choose OK and the defined User Distribution is added to the list box This User Defined Distribution can now be used anywhere in the model where a statistical dis tribution is specified 7 To copy an existing User Distribution select the distribution choose the Copy button and you can enter another Name for the distribution 8 To remove an existing User Distribution select the distribution and choose the Remove button 9 Choose another tab or the Close button if finished with User Distributions SIMPROCESS Users Manual 119 User Defined Distributions Tabular Distributions Tabular Distributions creates a statistic
132. ce a Activity displays a hierarchical tree of the model Once a Process or Activity has been selected the values available for plotting for that item appear The values that can be plotted for Processes are Number Entities In Process and Entity Cycle Time The values that can be plotted for Activities are Number Entities In Activity Number Entities Waiting Number Entities On Hold Number Entities Processing Number Entities Accepted Number Entities Released Number Entities Balked Entity Cycle Time Entity Wait Time Entity Processing Time and Entity On Hold Time The hierarchical tree can be searched with the same options that are on the Activity Browser page 34 The difference is there is a Find All option When selected all Activities or Processes that match the search criteria are displayed Note that when Find Allis selected the search cannotreturn both Activities and Processes SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 271 Custom Plots The result of the search should only return Activities or Processes When a group of the same type is selected and Add Values is clicked the selected statistics are added for all items in the group Select Activ istomer Service E TopProcess0 halt Generate Calls _ Process Calls __ Complete Calls ip hg Split Accounting M Prepare Shipment i Join Family No Match Entities G Create Phone Order Number Entities In
133. ch Process Activity Wait For Resource Cycle Times Trace and Wait For Resource Cycle Times Histogram These charts show the individual wait for Resource time measurements for each Activity These charts are not available for Processes Hold For Condition Cycle Times Trace and Hold For Condition Cycle Times Histogram These charts show the hold forcondition time measurements for each Activity These charts are not available for Processes Process Cycle Times Trace and Process Cycle Times Histogram This chart shows the processing time measurements for each Activity These charts are not available for Processes Entity Counts Trace and Entity Counts Histogram These charts show the number of Entities in each Process Activity Wait For Resource Trace and Wait For Resource Histogram These charts show the number of Entities waiting for Resources for each Activity These charts are not available for Processes Hold For Condition Trace and Hold For Condition Histogram T hese charts show the number of Entities holding for a condition for each Activity These charts are not available for Processes Entities In Process Trace and Entities In Process Histogram These charts show the number of Entities processing for each Activity SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 255 Custom Statistics Attribute Value Reports The attribute value reports must be specified in the dialogs where the attributes themselves are defined Ifthe attributes
134. collected For example ifno Attributes had statistics collected then the Attribute tab will be empty The Cost tab lists the cost categories Resource By Activity Resource By Entity and Activity By Entity fone or more SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 229 Simulation Results OrgModels are assigned to the SIMPROCESS model the cost categories Org Node By Resource and Org Node Cumulative Cost will also be listed See Using OrgModels with SIMPROCESS in the SIMPROCESS OrgModel Manual for information on using OrgModels witha SIMPROCESS model The Activity Resource and Connector tabs display tree views Only the items needed for navigation and the items with statistics collected will be active When a replication from the Select Replication list and an item from one of the Select Component tabs have been selected the statistics are displayed in the Results section The tabs display the same statistical categories as the Standard Report and are described in Custom Statistics When applicable the type of the statistics Observation Based or Time Weighted is displayed above the table of results s Simulation Results A nm N th Select Replication Select Component Results Sum of All 10 replications Time Stamp Attribute Cost Results Time Unit Hours Z Average of All 10 replications Entity Activity Resource Connector Replication 1 ati Total Count Count By State Cycle Time By State i roduct A
135. d SIMPROCESS User s Manual 235 Simulation Results Product A Total Count Total Generated Remaining In System Statistic Total Processed Replication 1 Replication 2 4 Replication 3 Replication 4 Replication 5 Chart Options Some options apply to some chart types and some options apply to all chart types Bar Charts Stacked Bar Charts and Pie Charts can be 2 Dimensional or 3 Dimensional Display Values applies to all chart types and displays the value of each item on a chart Total Count Avg of 10 Reps Remaining In System Statistic m Product A m product B W Product C Display Value Table also applies to all chart types When selected this option displays a table of the chart values SIMPROCESS User s Manual 236 Simulation Results Total Count Avg of 10 Reps Total Generated Remaining In System Total Processed Statistic Product A m Product B Product c Remaining In System 50 7 71 9 375 4 Display Chart Options displays options for all chart types except Pie Chart The orientation can be set to Horizontal or Vertical and the axis labels can be set between zero and 90 degrees Total Count Avg of 10 Reps Total Generated Remaining In System Total Processed Statistic Product A Pro
136. d The statistic dimension and replication dimension were combined so the two dimensions displayed by the chart SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 239 Simulation Results were Entity component type and the selected statistics from Cycle Time By State by replication If two replications were selected say Replication 1 and Replication 2 then two charts would be created One chart would have the title Cycle Time By State Replication 1 and the other chart would have the title Cycle Time By State Replication 2 If statistics from the statistic category Count By State were selected then there would be four charts created J ps 4 Results Chart Cycle Time By State Replication 1 Time in Hours WOE Processing Wait For Resources Hold For Conditions Statistic E Product A Product B Product C E P The Group By option also influences how many charts are created Using the same selections as the above chart Replication 1 the Entities Product A Product B and Product C and Cycle Time By State statistics ifthe Group By option is changed to Replication three charts would be created One dimension would be Replication the legend and the other dimension would be a combination of Entity and the statistics from the statistic category Since three Entities were selected there will be three charts If another statistic category is used there will be six charts Not
137. de hypertext the full URL must be included such as http www simprocess com The protocol portion http https or file is removed and the remainder of the URL becomes the hypertext For example if See http www simprocess com for more information is entered See www simprocess com for more information is displayed If specific hypertext is desired include it immediately following the URL enclosed by parentheses and quotes Entering See http www simprocess com SIMPROCESS for more information will display as See SIMPROCESS for more information SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 8l Adding and Editing Activities NOTE All Comment fields in SIMPROCESS can contain hypertext If the properties of Activities Entities Resources Attributes or Time Stamps are included in Custom Reports see Custom Reports and the Comment contains more than one URL only the first URL will be active when the Custom Report is saved to a document format pdf docx etc e Documentation tab contains a Document button that opens an edit window for adding descriptive text about the Activity See document Subdirectory for information on customizing headings Nextto the Document button is the Metadata button The Metadata button opens a dialog for entering metadata See Entering Metadata for a full discussion of entering SIMPROCESS metadata This tab also contains a field for adding a link
138. delete and recreate The Move button causes the selected item to move down in the list Move causes the item to go to the top of the list if the selected item is the last item The Border Properties and Lane Widths buttons change the look of the borders and the widths of the swimlanes Border Properties brings up a dialog that sets the Line Width Line Style and Line Color for each of the borders The properties apply to the borders top to bottom for horizontal swimlanes and left to right for vertical swimlanes Since there are only two lanes there is only one border SIMPROCESS Users Manual 49 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus The Lane Widths button changes the widths of the swimlanes The swimlane defaults to evenly spaced widths Each swimlane will be 50 of the layout if there are two swimlanes The dialog allows you to enter relative percentages for all or some swimlanes Entries are not required for each swimlane The minimum swimlane width is 5 of the layout Swimlanes that do not have an entry will be evenly spacedacross the remaining area of the layout The Current Unassigned Lane Width Maximum Percentage shows the maximum value that can be assigned to a lane As Is Process for Staffing is assigned 50 of the layout area in the example below This means 50 of the layout area is left for People Soft HR The Clear Widths buttons removes all swimlane width assignments 7 m As s Process for Staffing Relative Size
139. distribution parameters on the detail dialog will not be saved SIMPROCESS User s Manual 126 User Defined Distributions 15 ModelFit Alternatives contains alternative distribution fits for the sample data An empty list means that ModelFit determined that there were no acceptable alternatives To use an alternative distribution either select the distribution then click the Select Alternative button or double click the desired alternative The primary distribution will be placed into the list of alternatives and the selected alternative will be placed into the Fitted Distribution field Note that ModelFit Alternatives are only applicable when using the Fit Now button It is not possible to select an alternative when Auto Fit is run at simulation start The primary distribution will always be used when Auto Fit is run at the beginning of a simulation When running Auto Fit at simulation start alternatives generated by ModelFit are written to the simprocess 1log file To use an alternative as the primary distribution Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start must not be selected r a Auto Fit Properties Name Autort Cancel File Spreadsheet Database n Hep v Use File Data Source ee File Name sample dat Browse View Data FitNow e v Set Default Type Continuous v Set Default Bounds infinity v Infinity w Simulation Options Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start On Error Use De
140. done with care The units for each of the values should match For instance a cycle time should not be plotted along with a number of Entities value for example Number In System Those types of values have different units To add values select the item on the left and the values desired on the right Only one item on the left can be selected at a time However multiple values on the right can be selected If all are desired the Select All button can be used Once selections are made click the Add Values button If the Add Values button is not clicked no values for plotting are added Thus multiple values from the items on the left Entity Resource etc can be added to the trace before clicking OK Note that statistics do not have to be collected on the values selected for the values to plot SIMPROCESS User s Manual 273 Custom Plots The custom plot below plots three values two Entity and one Activity Hardware Sales and Software Sales are Entities The value Entities In System is being plotted for both Sales Process is a Process The value Number Entities In Process is being plotted for it All three of these values have the same units number Only a trace plot is defined Following the dialog is the actual plot Custom Plot Name sales Calls Plots Trace Properties Histogram Properties v Real Time Trace Plot Trace Title sales Calls In System X Axis Label Time In Hours
141. ds Commit to Database Launch Database Application Define Global Statistics Collection sets which statistics are collected during the model execution See Default Performance Measures on page 243 View Simulation Results displays selected statistics in a table format with options for saving the statistics to a file and view the statistics graphically See View Simulation Results on page 229 Export Results contains three items Database Spreadsheet and Simulation Database is used to create SQL statements to export simulation information and results to databases Insert Update and Delete SQL statements can be created See Defining and Executing Database Exports in Part B of the SIMPROCESS User s Manual for more information Spreadsheet is used to create output spreadsheets See Defining and Executing Spreadsheet Exports in Part B of the SIMPROCESS User s Manual for more information Simulation exports the results of the current model to a tab delimited file The data from all reports selected for the current model will be written to this file The file can be opened with a text editor or spreadsheet Display Standard Report allows viewing reports containing the statistical results of a simulation run See Standard Report on page 243 Custom Reports manages the model s Custom Reports See Custom Reports Scenario Reports manages the model s Scenario comparison
142. duct B Product C SIMPROCESS User s Manual 237 Simulation Results e Finally the Color of the background of all chart types can be set Results Chart SoA Total Count Avg of 10 Reps 400 5 300 4 250 200 4 i 150 4 100 Total Generated Remaining In System Total Pre Statistic Count E Product A W Product B Product C Group By The Group By options determine how the results will be grouped in the charts To putit simply whatever is selected as the Group By option will be the items in the Chart legend So if Replication is selected as the Group By option the legend will include whatever replications were selected Replication 1 Replication 2 etc The results of all component types can be grouped by Replication Statistic and Value Type When Value Type is selected the specific values to chart can be selected Note that not all statistics will have all the value types For example the Entity Total Count statistics only have Maximum for individual replications If this type of statistic is selected SIMPROCESS will produce an error message if Display is clicked and Value Type is selected and Maximum is not selected Note that Value Type is not an option for Std Dev Chart and Min Max Chart When Available is offered as a Value Type when the Resource tab is selected This Value Type gives the same value as Percent Utilization
143. e though that selecting more replications will not result in more charts since the Group By option is Replication Pie and Pareto charts only support one dimension so again if the same selections as above are used three Pie or Pareto charts would be created instead ofone Bar chart The only dimension isacombination of all the selections Since the Group By option was Entity and three statistics were selected there are three Charts The titles are Cycle Time By State Processing Replication 1 Cycle Time By State Wait For Resources Replication 1 and Cycle Time By State Hold For Conditions Replication 1 The legend for each is the selected Entities This first of the three charts is shown below SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 240 Simulation Results Cycle Time By State Processing Replication 1 Time in Hours Product A Product B Product C It would probably make more sense to select Statistic as the Group By option When that is done there are three charts but each chart is for one Entity instead of for one statistic Product A Cycle Time By State Replication 1 Time in Hours 1 Processing Wait For Resources Hold For Conditions In summary depending on what is selected many charts may be created Be thoughtful about the selections before clicking Display especially if Display All Charts is selected The only way to close all open charts at once is to exit SIMPROCES
144. e Expression or a User defined Attribute See Variable Resource Usage for more information Fractional Usage indicates whether or not fractional units of the Resource can be allocated If this box is checked a non integer value for Units e g 2 5 10 2 may be defined It also means that an activity can SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 184 Defining Resources acquire a fractional part of the Resource Consumable is used to identify resources that cannot be released and reused later such as paper or oil They must be replenished before demand is greater than supply The Cost tab allows cost values to be assigned to Resources and keeps track of the expense involved in using Resources This function is described in detail in Chapter 7 Activity Based Costing beginning on page 219 Expressions tab provides the means of writing specialized Processing instructions The Attributes tab defines attributes for the Resource Attributes are customized variables Typically expressions include Processing of attributes These topics are discussed in depth in Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions The Document function is used the same way it is for Activities to store descriptive text about the Resource The default headings can be customized See document Subdirectory The Downtime tab is where the periods when the Resource will notbe available in the model are defined Resource downtimes are describ
145. e and Remote change simulation behavior to mimic the behavior of models that contain External generation schedules The simulation will pause instead of end when no more events are scheduled for the simulation clock See Adding an External Schedule formore information Thus models containing remotereceiving Transfer Activities should be started before models that contain the associated remote sending Transfer Activities The simulation for a model with remote receiving Transfer Activities must be stopped manually or by some method within the model for example the count limit of the Dispose Activity When the simulation is started an internal Remote Transfer Server automatically starts that uses the port specified in the Remote Transfer tab of the Run Settings page 145 This server listens for transfers from one or more sending models As stated above an actual Entity instance is not transferred just information that is used to cause an Entity to be released from the receiving Transfer Activity The server shuts down automatically when the simulation is stopped Errors that occur in the sending simulation will only stop the sending simulation Errors that occur in the receiving simulation will stop the receiving simulation but willeventually cause an error in the sending simulation since the Remote Transfer Server will cease operation If the receiving simulation receives information from the sending simulation that includes a remote generation
146. e connections to output pads and some do not all connections to the old activity may not transfer to the new activity This menu item also displays on the right mouse click contextual menu Preferences Preferences allows the setting of personal preferences for various options in SIMPROCESS These preferences take effect after the dialog is closed pi Preferences Pads I Connectors Entities I oa ___ Appearance Counts _ Processes Activities Text Block Text i Text Gi V Show Name Help V Confirm Delete F Auto Connect Activities E Display Process Badge A Display Master Copy Badges Activity Width 32 Activity Height 32 Process Width 68 Process Height 44 Default Icon Set Default Time Between Auto Saves Mins 10 Maximum Number of Files on RecentFile List 4 Email contact for published models Maximum Number of Edit Log Entries 0 unlimited E Display Activity Properties Viewer 50 7 Ifa model is open when the Preferences menu item is selected check boxes appear that allow selection of preferences to be applied to the active model SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 29 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus BackoroundTex Pads Entities Toolbars Appearance Counts Processes Activities Text Block Text Label V Show Name E Apply Show Name Confirm Delete E Apply Activity Size Auto Connect Activities F Apply Pr
147. e done if the same split Entities needed to be joined twice The exiting Entity could be a batch that could be later unbatched and joined again after further processing see Batch Family Members and Remember Family Batch Family Members tells SIMPROCESS to batch the child Entities with the original Entity The Entity can be separated into its components at an Unbatch Activity Otherwise all the child Entities are disposed in the Join Activity SIMPROCESS releases the original Entity through the Join Pad Remember Family is only enabled when Batch Family Members is selected This is an advanced option that should only be considered for higher level modeling By default when an Entity whether batched or not leaves a Join Activity the family references are removed However if Remember Family is selected the batched Entity that leaves the Join Activity and the Entities in the batch keep the family reference If the Entity exiting the Join Activity is later unbatched the individual Entities can then be routed back to the original Join Activity or another Join activity with the same family selected for rejoining and or rebatching If the individual Entities are routed back to a Join Activity with the same family and Remember Family was not selected on the original Join Activity the Entities will exitthrough the NoMatch pad This option should not be used if the exiting Entity will eventually be routed back to the original Split Activity Splitting a
148. e handled Select the Process button from the Model Toolbar and click on the layout SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 100 Defining Resources and Processes Display a dialog for defining the Process Do this by either e Clicking on the Process icon to select it and then pressing Alt Enter Selecting the Process icon and then selecting Edit from the menu bar followed by Properties n Process Properties i General Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts Name Process9 V Show Name _ Use Text Block Cancel Icon Defaulticon X Help Icon Set Default hd l New Entity New Resource _ Global Attributes Entity Copy Entity Type Remove Model Alternative Sub Processes Add E Master Process E Collect Activity Statistics E Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment E d Alternative Sub Processes A Process may consist of a set of Alternative sub processes Each sub process can represent an alternative implementation of the Process This allows the creation of many variations of a Process and keeps them organized in one place Only one sub process can be active at any point in time An experiment may be run with Alternative sub process 1 active to measure the overall performance of the model Alternative sub process 2 can then be run and results compared SIMPROCESS defines a single default sub proc
149. e or False Otherwise Priority Priority Entity Priority 1 100 1 Otherwise True or False Otherwise SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 165 Entity Control Activities Branch Activity Type Connector Properties Used Display Example Smallest Value Value from Entity Resource Entity 1 Number Created Activity Connector Time Stamp or Model Attribute Otherwise True or False Otherwise Largest Value Value from Entity Resource Resource1 Units Busy Activity Connector Time Stamp or Model Attribute Otherwise True or False Otherwise Merge Activity A Merge Activity routes Entities from different Connectors into one Connector Merge can be used to TimeStamp all Entities or to reduce the number of to and from Connectors to create a more visually appealing model Also a Merge Activity is useful if groups of Activities will be copied and pasted By using a Merge Activity Connectors are not lost during the copy and paste i Merge Properties s General Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts OK Name Merge4 V Show Name Use Text Block Cancel Icon _ Merge v B L Help Icon Set Default bd SSS New Entity Global Attributes No parameters needed Entity Entity Type Resource Collect Activity Statistics Model Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment Transfer Activity A Transfer Activity routes entities wi
150. e through the Display Real Time Plots button or menu item Automatic Saving of Plots Plots are automatically saved in the plots directory which is created in the model s directory at the end ofa simulation run Only local plots are saved All plots are saved using the name of the plot as the name of the file When creating the file name some special characters amp and in the name of the plot are replaced by underscores Note that not all special characters are replaced and depending on the system and the special characters special characters that are not replaced with underscores could cause an error during the automatic save of the plot Trace plots have a trc extension and histogram plots have an hst extension These plots will be overwritten each time the model is run Thus if a plot file needs to be saved it should be renamed or moved or the plot can be saved using the File Save option Launch Plot Application on the Report menu opens a plot window Saved plots can be opened using the File Open option of the plot window Post Plotting Options Each plot window has a menu and four buttons These provide options to save print and format plots Also the plots have a zoom capability SIMPROCESS User s Manual 265 Real Time Plots File Menu Open Ctri O Save Ctrl S SaveAs Export Print Ctrl P Close Ctrl W Open Opens a previously saved plot Save Saves a plot in XML for
151. ected only active Alternatives will be considered See Alternative Sub Processes on page 101 for more information on active and inactive Alternatives This option adds a column at the beginning called Parent Process Path This is needed since simply listing the parent Pro cess name and parent Alternative name will not always fully identify which Activity is referenced 5 Activities Only In Sequence Orders the list of Activities following the flow from each Generate Activity Processes are excluded This option adds two columns Activity ID and Predecessor ID The Activity ID column contains a numeric or alphanumeric identification number for each Activity Since there is only one list of Activities the list begins with the first Generate Activity and follows the flow until a Dispose Activity is encountered or a loop is encountered that repeats the flow However there may be multiple paths within the flow due to Branch Split or other Activities The export will follow one path to the end then go back and add other paths Each Activity will have one or more values in the Predecessor ID column This shows which Activities precede this Activity Note that this path may not terminate with a Dispose Activity since Activities will not be duplicated in the export Consider the simple model below SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 20 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 At Delay gt o gt 3 At 2 Genera
152. ector e Ifa Duration is defined for the Activity the time specified in the Duration will be applied before the cloned Entities are created In other words it will be reflected in the Cycle Time of the incoming Entities e IfTime Stamps are defined for the incoming Entity those values can be passed to the Clones by selecting Copy Time Stamps Split and Join Activities The Split and Join Activities work together to temporarily split the processing of an Entity among parallel Activities At the Split Activity an Entity is converted into one or more Entities each of which follow a different path before optionally reuniting at a Join Activity SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 173 Entity Control Activities The Split Activity generates child Entities from the parent Entity The children and the parent Entity belong to the same family After going their separate ways the family is reunited at the Join Activity where a single Entity the parent exits for continued processing In the order fulfillment process Split and Join might come into play in the handling of rush orders To speed up processing of rush orders the work might be divided among several clerks at some point Do Paperwork At Delay Get Order From Inventory At Delay2 Update Database At Delay3 The figure above shows how a Split Activity takes a customer order Entity and releases three Entities the original and two children or clones Each Entity goes to
153. ed The global Collect Resource Statistics should not be selected and the Collect Resource Statistics on the Resource Definition dialog should be selected if only statistics for selected Resources are desired Similarly Utilization by Activity and Utilization by Shift are selected either from the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog by choosing Collect Resource by Activity Statistics and Collect Resource by Shift Statistics or by choosing Collect Resource by Activity Statistics and Collect Resource by Shift Statistics when each Resource is defined See Resource Shifts for information on Resource Shifts SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 250 Custom Statistics Resource Properties General Cost Downtime Attributes Expressions i Name Sales Rep Cance Units 1 m Hep e Document Fractional Usage Metadat Consumable v Collect Resource Statistics Collect Resource by Activity Statistics W Collect Resource by Shift Statistics Comment c a Utilization by State Statistics These statistics present summaries of the simulation generated statistics for the time that the number of units of the selected Resources spent in each state The average number of units and percentages that were idle busy planned downtime unplanned downtime and reserved are shown in the Standard Report Also included in the Standard Report are the percentages that a Resource was idle busy or reserved give
154. ed file The replication is added to the file Replication 1 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 139 Run Settings Replication 2 etc and then a header line consisting of Action Activity Entity SequenceNum and SimTime Each action added to the file consists of the action name Initialize Accept etc the name of the activity the name of the entity the sequence number of the entity and the simulation time Expression Options The Expression Options tab contains options for two Expression statements OUTPUT and BREAKPOINT See Writing Expressions for more information on Expressions The OUTPUT statement displays information in the SIMPROCESS Expression Output Dialog and the BREAKPOINT statement pauses the simulation and displays simulation information Both statements are especially useful for debugging la gt Run Settings ee Run Settinas Cost Periods I Debug Traces Lo _ Expression Options Time Server Remote Transfer Random Numbers Expression Output Options Cancel T Suppress Dialog Help Send Output to File Enable BREAKPOINT Statements E Pi OUTPUT Statement There are two options for OUTPUT Suppress Dialog and Send Output to File By default both options arenotselected Ifselected the Suppress Dialog option prohibits the SIMPROCESS Expression Output Dialog from displaying during a simulation Suppressing the dialog causes the simulation torun faster If Send Output to
155. ed in Defining Downtime Schedules of Resources Resources a Type Resource 7 Name Units Fractional Consumable Resource Stats Res Act Stats Res Shift Stats Close Sales Rep 4 it Copy Remove Paty Defined in OrgModel Add Template x Note that the basic properties of Resources added to the model can be edited directly from the table However changes made in the table are direct changes to the properties of the Resource and cannot be canceled Also the table can be sorted by a particular column by clicking on the column header Holding the Shift key while clicking on a column header causes the table to sort in the reverse order SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 185 Adding Resource Requirements to Activities Adding Resource Requirements to Activities Once the model flow and resources are defined the Resource requirements of each Activity must be added to the model The Resource requirements for an activity are defined on the Resources tab of the Activity Properties dialog box r y Delay Properties s General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts OK Requirements Resource 3 Model Attribute Cancel St Service Rep 1 0 Add Resources Help Model 1 IR Sales Rep _ _ _ Edit NewEntiy fi k New Resource h Global Attributes Model Attributes Entity l Attribu
156. eft Entity Activity Resource Connector and Time Stamp Select an item from one of the tabs on the left then select the plots desired onthe right Multiple items can be selected on the right by holding down the Control key when selecting The Select All button can be used if all plots are desired The Deselect All button deselects all plots for the item selected on a tab on the left Once the desired plots have been selected click OK During the simulation when the first value occurs fora particular plot the plot appears The plot will remain unless minimized or closed Real time plots SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 259 Real Time Plots that have been closed can be displayed again NOTE Real Time plots that have been displayed will not automatically disappear at the end of a simulation run Each one must be closed individually Note that all open plots will be closed when SIMPROCESS is closed Attributes Attribute plots are selected on the attribute definition dialog All attribute types except Entity Instance attributes can have plots Plots will be created for each item defined in the model if the attribute is a global Entity global Resource or global Activity attribute For instance if there are ten Activities Processes in a model and a global Activity attribute is defined with plots then 10 sets of plots will be created since each Activity will have the attribute Except for Model attributes it is best to
157. eir horizontal and vertical alignment can be set using the Align option Dynamic labels can be updated automatically or by using the SIMPROCESS Expression Language The SIMPROCESS Expression Language is an advanced feature found in SIMPROCESS Professional Updating dynamic labels using expressions is covered in Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions Properties are specified in the Background Text dialog invoked by selecting a text tool from the Model Toolbar marked by acapital T and clicking on the background in the location where textis to be placed Text can be moved by clicking and dragging The following shows a static label Note that the Static Label field and Font Attributes are all that are required for a static label Static text can have multiple lines of text and can be aligned Left Center or Right al f BackgroundText Properties s Static Label lasts Call Processing Tie Cancel Left Center Hep Right Dynamic Label Properties Name Id See Mode String w Width 10 E Value Precision 3 Bee cti p el Attribute Font Attributes Font Name Arial Zi Size 16 kai Color H black v v Bold Italic Angle 0 0 v Comment L a SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 197 Background Text Dynamic Label Properties is only applicable to dynamic text Font Attributes is used to specify text properties for dynamic and static text Defaults for the Font Attributes can be set on the Back
158. eircommon family name Family Name is used ata Join Activity to identify the Entities to be joined Family names must be unique within a model Identifying Split Entities Split Entities are Attributes of the Connector a Split Entity is defined for each Connector linking a Split Activity to a connecting Activity A single Connector is drawn from the Original output Pad to an adjoining Activity s input Pad Then the Split output Pad is connected to the other adjoining Activities SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 175 Entity Control Activities Asanexample the figure below shows the distribution of rush order processing into three simultaneous Activities paper work retrieval of an item from inventory and updating of the inventory database Split Work Load re Clones robo In ve Original Split Do Paperwork At Delayl Get Order From Inventory Temp at Temp Delay2 Customer Order Update Database At Delay3 The Original Pad of the Split Activity is connected to the input Pad of the Update Database Activity so the original customer order Entity flows through Update Database Double clicking on one of the Connectors emanating from the Split Pad opens the Split Connector properties SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 176 Entity Control Activities Dialog Field Definitions gt Connector Properties General start End Cancel E Show Name Help E Auto Label Split Entities Entity
159. el File Spreadsheet Database Help e v Use Database Data Source Properties File Browse OO View Data Fit Now SQL Query V Set Default Type Continuous RA Set Default Bounds Enter Lower Bound Value Infinity ad Enter Upper Bound Value Infinity v Simulation Options __ Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start On Error Use Default Distribution None Suppress Warnings Stream 1 Fitted Distribution ModelFit Alternatives ModelFit Warnings E a 8 Below the data source section of the dialog are two checkboxes Set Default Type and Set Default Bounds These checkboxes allow hints about the sample data to be passed to ModelFit Information about the sample data can be useful in obtaining a proper distribution fit If Set Default Type is selected default then either Continuous default or Discrete can be selected For example sample data representing time between arrivals is usually Continuous whereas sample data representing number of arrivals is usually Discrete If Set Default Bounds is selected then the lower and upper bounds can be set and passed to ModelFit Enter Lower Bound Value contains two selections Infinity and 0 0 Enter Upper Bound Value contains one selection Infinity Other numeric values can be used as bounds by typing the values in the appropriate field For instance if the sample data represents task times then there could be a minimum and or m
160. el is open or if the currently active model has not been saved and given aname Icon Manager Functions i Single Icon Multiple Icons For Current Model Export m Export Icons to files Manage Delete Icons Assign to Categories and Sets Close E 7 Choose Single Icon and click Import to import a single image for use as an icon Use the Browse button to locate the Image File to import Once selected enter the Icon Name which must be unique among all icons no matter what category or set Select the Icon Category and Icon Set If the Icon Set needed is not listed create a new set by typing it in the Icon Set field Click OK to finish the import SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 203 Importing Graphics Image Files r Import Icon Image Image File C images Flag png Browse Icon Name Flag Cancel Icon Category gt Entity Activity Process Icon Set Imported A directory of images can be imported by choosing Multiple Icons and clicking Import Using the Browse button select the directory that contains the images to import Only directories will be listed in the file chooser Files may not be selected All gif jpg and png files in the directory will be imported The Icon Name for each will default to the name of the file minus the extension These names can be changed as long as they remain unique among all the standard and imported icons An error message wi
161. en the Save Statistics dialog The Simulation Results file will by default havean xpt file extension and be saved to the current model directory This file is tab delimited and can be opened using a text editor or spreadsheet The file will contain the complete statistical measures corresponding to the reports selected for the current model This file contains raw statistical data that is displayed in the Standard and Custom Reports in a standard format that can be opened by many different applications For a complete listing of the format of the Simulation Results file see Simulation Results File SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 281 A activities Activity Browser 34 aligning 53 Assemble 148 150 Assign 158 159 Batch 150 152 See also Batch Activity Branch 161 163 Clone 172 173 Comment dialog field 84 commenting 84 connecting 75 creating from menu 60 defining resource requirements 186 definition of 14 74 delay time defining 83 92 93 displaying name under icon 83 distributing 54 Document command 84 documenting 84 entity processing time 82 Free Resource 190 192 Gate 153 155 entity release policies 153 gating policies 153 Get Resource 189 190 grouping 55 Hide 59 Hide All Names 59 icons choosing 83 icons labeling 84 icons showing name under 83 icons types 83 84 Join 173 178 180 linking 75 Merge 166 Name field 83 Properties dialog 81 88 removing from model 81 Replenish Resource 193 194 r
162. ent Entity Many levels of batching are possible i e batches can be composed of batches The Unbatch Activity defaults to only disaggregate one level ofbatch ata time Unbatch Nested Batches must be selected to disaggregate all levels SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 152 Entity Related Activities gt f Unbatch Properties x General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts Lo Name Unbatch10 V Show Name Use Text Block Cancel J Icon J gt Unbatch X To comms 21am Icon Set Default M Newentity Ss Retain Batched Entity Global Attributes Unbatch Nested Batches Entity Entity Type Duration Resource J Value None X m Model Units Hours ms E Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment E d The time specified in the Duration will be applied before the unbatching occurs It will be reflected in the Cycle Time of the Batched Entity The Unbatch Activity defaults to disposing the Batched Entity that enters the Activity Retain Batched Entity must be selected for the Batched Entity to not be disposed The Batched Entity will continue through the simulation with no child Entities Gate Activity The Gate Activity accumulates Entities until some number of Entities have been received or until a signal is received to release Entities It then sends a designated number of Entities out into the model Entiti
163. enu items Launch OrgModel Editor and Assign Launch OrgModel Editor opens the SIMPROCESS Organization and Resource Model Editor Assign assigns a SIMPROCESS OrgModel to the active SIMPROCESS model See the SIMPROCESS OrgModel Manual SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 63 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus SIMPROCESS Organization and Resource Models for information on these topics Templates defines and edits Templates This option also allows saving templates to a Library or loading a new Library See Reusable Templates and Libraries Model Description provides a place to document the model See document Subdirectory for information on customizing the headings Simulate Menu Run Settings Animation Settings Scenarios Verify Model Activate Scenarios F3 ey Run F4 Change Model Parameters F5 Pause Resume F6 Animation On F8 w Stop F9 Run Settings Expression Options Time Server I Remote Transfer Random Numbers OK Run Settings Cost Periods Debug Traces u Simulation Period Cancel i mmiddiyyyy hh mm ss msec usec nsec Help Start 01 01 2014 00 00 00 000 0004 0001 End 01 01 2015 00 00 00 0002 0004 0004 E Warmup Every Replication Reset Random Number Streams V Reset System Iv Verify Model on Run RMI Host localhost L Number of Replications Warmup Length Hours Warmup Time
164. eport menu or clicking the button on the tool bar These only become active at the beginning of a simulation run Ay A dialog appears that lists all plots hidden or not defined in the model All the plots are listed in the same dialog regardless of type Entity Resource etc nr a hl 4 Display Real Time Plots es Begin Procesing To End Processing Trace ma Begin Procesing To End Processing Histogram Service Calls Cycle Times Trace Help Service Calls Cycle Times Histogram Select All li Deselectall Control click to select or deselect multiple reports L The plots that are selected will display when OK is pressed Oncea plot is displayed it can be minimized or closed Any plot closed can be viewed again by using Display Real Time Plots from the Report menu or the tool bar All plots remain available for display until the model is closed The plots are recreated if the model is run again Displaying Plots Remotely The ability to display real time plots on a remote server is a plug in capability that can be licensed separately from CACI The Display Plot on Remote Server option must be selected and the Remote Server URL must be entered Before the model with the remote plots starts simulation the Java RMI Registry must be started and SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 263 Real Time Plots SPPlotServer must be started on the server where the remote plots are to appear This requires the use of
165. er Activity Place Purchase Order Audit Invoice Average Cycle Time Total Time E Pi The Activity Gantt Chart is most useful for models that have basically a sequential flow If there are multiple loops or cross flows between Processes the Gantt chart can be more difficult to interpret Potential issues include separation between sequential Activities and Activities being out of order Sequential Activity Separation There may be separations between sequential Activities The chartbelow isa chartofonly the Activities of the Customer Service demonstration model Hardware Sales and Software Sales are both Activities in Sales Process which is within Process Calls The Activities that follow Process Calls are Prepare Shipment and Accounting both in Complete Calls Clicking towards the end ofa bar displays a blue dashed line at the time of the completion of that Activity Note the blue dashed line that corresponds to the end of Hardware Sales Following that line down the chart we see that both Prepare Shipment and Accounting start at the time that Hardware Sales ends Remember Hardware Sales and Software Sales follow the same Branch Activity so the following Activities begin at the end of the preceding Activity with the longest duration SIMPROCESS Users Manual 212 Activity Gantt Chart Customer Service Replication 1 Simulation Time 01 00 01 10 01 20 01 30 01 40 01 50
166. es can be batched in a Gate Activity A Gate Activity has two Pads that determine Entity behavior the Hold Pad and the Trigger Pad The Hold Pad located on the lower left of the Gate icon is a queue for incoming Entities Entities that arrive at that Pad are stored here The Trigger Pad located on the upper left of the Gate icon signals release of Entities A Gate Activity has two gating policies that can be effective concurrently The first gating policy is Threshold Release It allows the release ofsome number of Entities once a threshold number of Entities have arrived This policy is useful for example in cases where a truck must wait until it is full before it departs The second gating policy is Trigger Release An Entity is disposed of when it arrives at a Trigger Pad SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 153 Entity Related Activities and it triggers the release of Entities based on the selection of Release All Quantity or Sequence Number A Trigger Pad can synchronize the flow of Entities between different Activities The Gate Activity can be used as a buffer or queue to hold material from one section of the model until a condition is met in another part of the model A Trigger Entity is sent to the Trigger Pad of the Gate Activity when that condition is met An example of this would be if customer orders are printed out and sent on to the shipping department on an hourly basis This could be reflected in the model by a Gate Act
167. ese calculations proceed as follows 1 The Activity determines the total number of Entities processed for the period and the portion of this total represented by each type 2 The Activity costs are apportioned to the Entities based on the number of each Entity type divided by the total number of Entities The pool of Activity cost is broken out to each Entity type based on the Entity usage of that Activity The Activity cost is displayed in the cost report for the total number of each Entity type not for each Entity instance To calculate the Entity instance cost divide the cost for that Entity type the costnumber displayed in the report by the total number of Entities of that type processed available in the Standard Report Upon completion of these calculations SIMPROCESS resumes the simulation for the next cost period Note Get Resource Activities accumulate the costs of Resources obtained at Get Resource Activities This is because the Resource was notactually assigned to any ofthe activities where processing occurred References Michael R Ostrenga Terrence Ozan Robert Mc Ilhattan Marcus Harwood The Ernst amp Young Guide to Total Cost Management John Wiley amp Sons New York 1992 Douglas Webster Activity Based Costing A Tool for Reengineering the Enterprise Enterprise Reengineering April May 1995 pp 18 23 SIMPROCESS User s Manual 227 CHAPTER 8 Statistical Output Reports SIMPROCE
168. esources When an Entity arrives at an activity if a Resource is listed in the Resource requirements list for the activity SIMPROCESS attempts to obtain the Resource required to process the Entity If the required Resource or Resources are not available the Entity waits until the Resources become available When processing is completed the activity releases the Entity and frees the Resources This is an implicit way to get and free a Resource However some business processes require more control over resource allocation The Get Resource and Free Resource options allow the model to explicitly control the allocation of Resources Aclerk may performa series ofactivities and itis necessary that the same clerk execute all the activities in a given order Therefore the model should Get the Resource perform all the activities and then Free the Resource The remainder of the section will describe how to model this series of actions with SIMPROCESS Clerk Clerk Receives Releases Order Order Receive Reserve or Customer Order Order Merchandise Process Process Payment prac Ship Order Process Process Get Resource and Free Resource Activities Get Resource Activity The Get Resource activity obtains a Resource and holds on to it across multiple Processes and activities Assign a unique Tag to each Get Resource activity Although it is possible to use the same Tag twice at different levels of the model hierarchy i
169. esources needed by defining 82 Show All 59 Show All Names 59 Show Attached 59 Show Local Names 59 Split 173 174 178 Synchronize 156 157 Text Block 85 time required to perform 92 Transfer 166 169 Transform 159 161 Unbatch 152 153 ungrouping 56 variable resource usage 187 Activity Properties dialog fields 81 88 Activity Based Costing 219 227 Cost Calculations 226 Cost Periods 222 Resource Costs 223 226 adding objects to a model 81 animation changing during simulation 112 settings Animation Settings 65 66 108 Animation Speed 66 109 Show Clock 65 109 Show Counts 65 109 Show Entities 65 109 Update Dynamic Labels 66 109 Assemble Activity 148 150 batch component entities 150 Assemble component entities pad 148 Assign Activity 158 159 Entity Priority 158 User Defined Attributes 158 Attributes Model Paramters 110 Automatic saving 33 B Background Color 53 Background Graphics 201 Background Text 197 Batch Activity 150 152 Batched Entity 151 155 Maximum Batch Size 151 maximum number of entities 151 Maximum Wait Time 151 Minimum Batch Size 151 parent entity 151 155 Batched Entity of Batch activity 151 155 bottlenecks sources of 75 Branch Activity 161 163 Branch Connectors 163 C calendar dates effect on simulation 108 changing entity type 159 Clone Activity 172 173 copy time stamps 173 number of copies 173 Comment field 81 84 Confidence Intervals 113 243 Connectors Hide All Names 5
170. ess when a Process is created Renaming the sub process to something more meaningful for the model is accomplished by Selecting it from the Alternative Sub Processes list on the Process dialog Clicking Edit to modify the sub process definition Highlighting the existing name and typing over it For this example call the sub process Main Click on OK a E a The new name appears in the Alternative Sub Processes list and becomes the active sub process SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 101 Defining Resources and Processes More sub processes may be added to the Process by clicking on Add and naming the new sub process Activate a different sub process by selecting it from the Alternative Sub processes list Sub processes may be deleted with the Remove command button and copied using the Copy button Click on OK when the Process is defined Adding Detail to a Process Once a Process is defined define the Activities and Processes that make up the Process Right click on the Process icon and choose Descend to open the layout of the currently active sub process A blank layout is shown except for two Pads an input Pad on the left and an output Pad on the right If the output Pad is not visible scroll to the right d SIMPROCESS Professional Edition a a Ze y 3 File Edit Layout View Create Define Simulate Report Experiment Tools Window Help Dva S XxADra B44 Gt IV u OORT k E Model 1 A
171. ete portions of the plot can be zoomed To select the area for zooming left mouse click at one corner of the area and drag over the area When the mouse is released that area will fill the plot The following two plots demonstrate this The first plot is the original plot The second shows the plot with a portion zoomed 4 gt SIMPROCESS Real Time Graph a File Edit Special BRAE Service Calls Cycle Times Trace BRAE Observations 50L Mean 45 40L g35 gt 30 E 2 25 20 151 10 LL L L 4 L 0 5 10 15 20 25 Simulation Time in Hours E a 5l SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 268 Real Time Plots E SIMPROCESS Real Time Graph a S File Edit Special BRAE Observations Mean Service Calls Cycle Times Trace T T T T T T T T Value in Minutes N 00 0 5 1 0 1 5 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 5 5 Simulation Time in Hours SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 269 Custom Plots Custom Plots The real time trace plots available from Real Time Plots on the Report menu plot one value along with its mean Custom Real Time Plots offers the option of selecting more than one value to be on a trace and or histogram plot Thus various values can be viewed in comparison with one another on the same plot Selecting Custom Real Time Plots brings up a dialog that lists the custom plots defined in the model Clicking the Add button brings up
172. f digits after the decimal point that will be displayed Ifthe Width is greater than the value being displayed it will be padded with spaces on the left side If the Mode is Integer then only the Width field needs to be set The Value field can be left empty If so the dynamic label can only be updated by using the SIMPROCESS Expression Language see For a list of System Methods available in SIMPROCESS refer to SIMPROCESS System Methods Likewise if the Mode is String the dynamic label can only be updated through the SIMPROCESS Expression Language If the Value field is not empty the dynamic label will update automatically every time the selected value changes The six buttons to the right Entity Resource Activity Connector Time Stamp and Model Attribute are used to set the Value for the dynamic label These buttons are active when a valid Name and Id has been entered and the Mode is not String Each button brings up a dialog that lists each model element of that type Entity Resource etc on the left Once a value is selected on the left the values available are listed on the right Only one item can be selected on each side Selecting the Entity button displays the following dialog SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 198 Background Text Select Entity Value Number Created Serice Calls Number Disposed Number In System Number Processing Number Waiting Number On Hold Number Traveling Cycle Time Processing Ti
173. f the data source is reached If the data con tains Strings an empty string will be returned Continue simulation and repeat data causes the data in the Input Source to be repeated until the end of the simulation is reached Stop replication stops the current replication but allows the next replication to continue Stop simulation stops the current replication and all remaining replications will not execute Both Stop replication and Stop simulation display a message when invoked Note that Input Sources reset to the beginning of the data at the start of each replication if Reset System is selected in the Run Settings page 137 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 134 Input Sources Using Input Sources Defined Input Sources appear in the SIMPROCESS distribution list Thus an Input Source can be used anywhere in the model where a statistical distribution is specified In the example below selecting the distribution list for the Duration Value of the Delay Activity shows that the distribution list contains one File Input Source File1 one Spreadsheet Input Source Spreadsheet1 and one Database Input Source Databasel1 gt f Delay Properties General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts OK Name Delay3 V Show Name Use Text Block Cancel Icon at Delay nA ad z Hel Icon Set Default hg New Entity New Resource Global Attributes Duration Entity Value
174. fault Distribution None v Suppress Warnings Stream 1 Fitted Distribution Nor 29 985 0 993 a ModelFit Alternatives PT5 0 0 27131 963 905 851 Log 29 98 0 99 Select Alternative ModelFit Warnings None E 16 ModelFit Warnings contains warning messages from ModelFit concerning the Fitted Distribution These warnings are only displayed here when the Fit Now button is used The warnings are written tothe simprocess 1og file when fitting occurs at simulation start The simprocess log and file is located in the SIMPROCESS working directory See SIMPROCESS Working Directory None is displayed if there are no warnings The text of ModelFit Warnings can be selected and copied using the platform specific keyboard shortcuts SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 127 User Defined Distributions F pi Auto Fit Properties x Name AutoFit Cancel File Spreadsheet Database a Help v Use File Data Source es File Name sample dat Browse View Data Fit Now T Set Default Type Continuous z Set Default Bounds Enter Lower Bound Value Infinity v Enter Upper Bound Value Infinity v Simulation Options Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start On Error Use Default Distribution None v Suppress Warnings Stream 1 Fitted Distribution Uni 1 0 100 0 Da ModelFit Alternatives Select Alternative ModelFit Warnings ModelFit Warning sample appears to be discrete Set hin
175. for creating User Defined Distributions The first Standard customizes an existing SIMPROCESS distribution The second Tabular creates a statistical distribution from discrete data points using a table format Auto Fit automatically fits a distribution from sample data at the beginning of a simulation The sample data can be in an ASCII file spreadsheet or database ModelFit is used to perform the distribution fitting See Help About SIMPROCESS for information on ModelFit Note that the Auto Fit feature is licensed separately from SIMPROCESS rc d Define Distributions Standard Tautar Auto Ft Giese her These User Defined Distributions can be used anywhere in the model where a statistical Add x distribution is specified Standard Distributions 1 distribution that has been removed Select the Standard tab to Add Edit Copy or Remove Standard Distributions Undo retrieves a n Define Distributions Standard Tabular Auto Fit MyErlang Close Help Copy l Remove j SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual User Defined Distributions 2 Choosing the Add Edit or Copy button brings up another dialog as shown below where you type in the Name and distribution Name is any non blank user distribution name It must be unique across all Distributions Input Sources and Functions Select a distribution for modifi
176. fuel to power the trucks la gt Resources sl Type Resource Name Units Fractional Consumable Resource Stats Res ActStats Res Shift Stats cose Adad tak Defined in OrgModel Add Template L d The Resources dialog is used to define new Resources modify existing Resource definitions copy Resource definitions or delete Resources The Add function creates a new Resource definition The Edit Remove and Copy functions are only active if there are existing Resource definitions These functions operate on the Resource selected in the table Edit modifies an existing Resource definition Remove deletes a Resource definition e Copy creates a new Resource based on the definition of an existing one Type specifies the Resource template that will be used to create a new Resource definition Undo restores a Resource that has been removed Add Template saves the Resource definitions for re use Templates are discussed in Adding Resource Templates The meaning of the label Defined in OrgModel is discussed in the SIMPROCESS OrgModel Manual see Assigning OrgModels SIMPROCESS has one pre defined Resource type which can be used when defining a new Resource New Resource templates can be created and added to the Type list See Adding Resource Templates for more information on Resource Templates When the Add button is chosen a new Resource with SIMPRO
177. gain will cause the Entities to never leave the Join Activity A batched Entity that exits a Join Activity with Remember Family not selected can be routed back to the original Split Activity The new child Entities are simply added to the batch at the Join Activity SIMPROCESS Users Manual 179 Entity Control Activities By default All Family Members Required is not selected When the original Entity enters a Dispose Activity or is otherwise destroyed before it reaches a Join SIMPROCESS releases one of the child Entities at the Join Activity Which child Entity is released cannot be specified SIMPROCESS selects it Note that if any of the child Entities are disposed before they reach their Join Activity the rest of the family still reunites at the Join if the rest of the family is already at the Join Activity at the moment the child Entity is destroyed SIMPROCESS processes and releases the original If All Family Members Required is selected then no Join will occur until all family members children and parent arrive at the Join Activity Thus ifany members of the family are disposed before the Join then the remaining family members will remain queued in the Join Activity SIMPROCESS User s Manual 180 CHAPTER 5 Resource Modeling Constructs A Resource is an agent that is required to perform the tasks associated with an Activity People equipment vehicles money and space can be modeled as Resources The limited availa
178. ghted Average This collects time weighted statistics for Entity attributes Observation Based Average This collects observation based statistics for Entity attributes Real Time Histogram Plot This displays a histogram of the attribute s values Real Time Trace Plot This displays a trace of the attribute s values Real Time Meter Plot This displays the attribute s value on a meter Real Time Thermometer Plot This displays the attribute s value on a thermometer Standard Report Displays the results in the Standard Report Set Plot Properties Displays a plot properties dialog for each type of plot selected Resource Statistics Resource statistics provide detailed information about the amount of time Resources spend in possible states during a simulation SIMPROCESS provides four types of statistics which show various summaries of the state information for a Resource e Utilization by State Statistics e Utilization by Activity Statistics e Utilization by Shift Statistics e Real time Plots e Attribute Value Statistics Utilization by State is selected either from the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog by choosing Collect Resource Statistics or by choosing Collect Resource Statistics when each Resource is defined The Utilization by State statistics will be in the Standard Report for every Resource defined if Collect Resource Statistics on the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog is select
179. gram Sales Process Entity Count Histogram Sales Process Cycle Times Trace Help Sales Process Deselect All Control click to select or deselect multiple reports Service Process f gt The list includes two custom plots Sales Calls In System Trace and Sales Calls In System Histogram andtwo Activity plots from Real Time Plots on the Report menu Sales Process Entity Count Histogram and Sales Process Cycle Times Trace Selecting the Sales and Service Processes causes the list to include plots assigned to both Processes SIMPROCESS Users Manual 277 Custom Plots S Display Real Time Plots pee Sales Calls In System _ Sales Calls In System Histogram Sales Process Entity Count Histogram Help Sales Process Cycle Times Trace A S Calls In System Select All Sanie Cas in Spite Histogram l Sale reese f 7 Deselect all Control click to select or deselect multiple reports H Service Process E Removing Plot Group A plot can be removed from a plot group by either changing the assignment using the Set Plot Group button or using the Remove Plot Group button on the Custom Plot Properties dialog The Remove Plot Group button simply removes the plot from the group and no reassignment occurs The button does nothing if the plot is not assigned to a group Setting Legends The legends on custom plots default to the names of the values in the plot for instance Soft
180. ground Text tab of the Preferences dialog Edit Preferences SIMPROCESS provides a list of the available fonts Some fonts will not properly display their names inthe combo box if the Java environment is unable to handle them Avoid using these fonts All rotation settings in the Angle combo box can be used with any font settings Note that once the text is placed on the layout the selection box around it has no handles The only way to resize font text is to change its point size in the Fonts dialog Once the text is placed on the layout it can be moved its properties edited and it can be grouped with other objects on the layout When a dynamic label is placed on the layout in addition to its font attributes appropriate information needs to be entered in the Dynamic Label Properties group Each dynamic label must have a unique combination of Name and Id number Usually Id number will be 0 unless two dynamic labels have the same name The name typed into the Name text box will not appear on the layout It will only be used to reference the label Also choose the type of value with which the dynamic label will be updated The choice between String Integer and Real is made inthe Mode combo box Ifthe value ofthe dynamic label is Real also specify Width and Precision in the corresponding value boxes Width is the total number of digits that will be shown for the displayed value including the decimal point while Precision specifies the number o
181. h ifthe selected Attribute is an Entity User Defined Attribute the same Attribute of the Batched Entity will be set to value of the Attribute of the child Entities For example ifEntity Attributel1 is 10 forthe Entities in the batch thenEntity Attributel will be set to 10 for the Batched Entity The same holds true when Priority is selected The priority of the Batched Entity will be the same as the priority of the Entities in the batch Rank Method sets the rank method of the queue for the Entities to be batched The default is First In First Out The rank methods are e First In First Out e First In Last Out e Earliest Created First e Latest Created First e Highest Priority Value First e Lowest Priority Value First e Highest Attribute Value First Lowest Attribute Value First The Attribute field will be active if Highest Attribute Value First or Lowest Attribute Value First is selected Select the desired attribute from the list If the selected attribute is a local Entity instance or Entity type attribute a run time error will occur if an Entity enters that does not have the selected attribute defined Duration is the time specified for a Batch Activity that will be applied after the Batched Entity has been created It will be reflected in the Cycle Time of the Batched Entity Unbatch Activity An Unbatch Activity separates a batch Entity into its constituents children and then by default destroys Disposes the par
182. hart Options Group By and Display Options Select Statistics Lists the type of statistics available for the selected component type Select Charts Lists the type of charts available Chart Options Lists the options for how a chart displays Group By Lists the options for how the selected results will be displayed on a chart Display Options Lists the options for displaying charts Select Statistics The statistics offered are the same as the statistics found on the Standard Report see Standard Report on page 243 They are divided into the same categories To select a specific statistic the statistic category must be selected This section is missing for Time Stamps and Attributes since there is only one statistic for each Cycle Time for Time Stamps and Value for Attributes The statistics are grouped SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 232 Simulation Results into categories since statistics from different categories cannot be charted together For example the statistic categories for Entities are Total Count Count By State and Cycle Time By State Total Count is an observation based statistic Count By State is a time weighted statistic and Cycle Time By State is an observation based statistic that has an associated time unit Since the type of statistic is different observation based versus time weighted and the units are different count time weighted count and time it does not make sense to try to vie
183. he individual Connector properties dialog Connector statistics will be in the Standard Report for every Connector defined if Collect Connector Statistics on the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog is selected The global Collect Connector Statistics should SIMPROCESS User s Manual 256 Custom Statistics not be selected and the local Collect Connector Statistics on the Connector properties dialog should be selected if only statistics for selected Connectors are desired Similarly Total Entity Counts by Entity Cycle Time by Entity and Entity Count by Entity are selected globally from the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog by choosing Collect Connector by Entity Statistics or locally by choosing Collect Connector by Entity Statistics on the appropriate Connector Connector statistics are usually only needed for Connectors with a Duration WARNING Collect Connector Statistics and Collect Connector by Entity Statistics should NOT be selected from the Global Statistics Collection dialog for large models This could cause memory problems and would lead to muchunneeded information Itisrecommended that Connectorstatistics always be selected at the appropriate Connector F pl Connector Properties sl General Start Ena Cancel Show Name Help Display Line Width 100 z Line Style Solid z Duration Document Travel Time Distance Divided By Rate Value None v l m Distance None v Rate None v U
184. he legend to the right of the list The example below shows a search on the CallCenter spm demonstration model The search was a case sensitive search for any names containing Type Four background text items four activities three entity types one global entity attribute and three connectors were found E i 7 Model Search Search Items Search Criteria Search Results Process or Activity T Typec a __close ey ate Resource Equals T TypeB Help Entity Type T Ty ane ype A T Call Type Fa Downtime Shift Edit Starts With 2 Check Type eg Fray AIA Downtime 1S Type A Get Tech es ntity Attribute S 3 Type B Get Tech Shift Ends With amp Typ 8 Enti amp Type C Get Tech CE a on Gic Attribute VT ypeA C ae Activity Attribute Background Tex Contains b TypeB as TypeC Os Sener Resource Attribute Connector Type lee TechType Bo Le TypeC Calls Wi Any Pap Model Attribute Ignore Case le TypeB Calls mz Le TypeA Calls T Background Text ts Lg Connector d Selecting an item will cause the Edit button to activate The properties of the item can be edited by clicking the Edit button or by double clicking an item The Go To button will activate if the item selected is a Process or Activity Selecting Go To will take you to the level of the model where that item is located Expression Search Expression Search is a quick way of searching for the existence of expressions or for
185. he next match SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 35 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus r n ns gt S Activity Browser allCenter f Close TopProcessO ee B At1 Help E GetTech g att S Check Queue Edit Check Type eee i a C L IR Type B Get Tech IR Type C Get Tech nd 3 Response Expand All H Aa Collapse All Generate Phone Calls He Answer Questions 43 Reneged Calls l Balked Calls lt a Completed Calls Bre Uses Resources t Has Expressions Find Activity Process vV Named tech V Ignore Case V OfType GetResource X i Default v _ With Icon gt Assemble v Icon Se Connector Browser Connector Browser is a feature for navigating among the Connectors A dialog lists all the Processes and Connectors contained in the model Any name preceded by a signifies a hierarchical Process or a Process Alternative Double clicking on the Process or Process Alternative name will expand the tree diagram displaying Connectors and Processes underneath Double clicking on the Connector name will bring up the properties of the Connector Each item has an icon that identifies the item as a Connector or a Process Select a Connector and either Edit the Properties of that Connector or Go To the layer in the model layout where that Connector resides Expand All expands the complete model hierarchy and Collapse All restores the hierarchy to the t
186. heet Name field Starting Row should have the row number rows start with 1 that contains the first value Column should have the column number column A would be column number 1 of the sample data The data must be ina single column with no empty cells The data is read beginning at the Starting Row and continues until an empty cell is reached Both Starting Row and Column are distribution list fields Thus the Starting Row and Column can be parameterized such as Evl Model StartingRow or Evl Model Column where Model StartingRow and Model Column are Model Attributes designated as Model Parameters A run time error will occur if the specified SheetName does not exist Also if the spreadsheet is a Workbook and a cell is read that contains a formula the formula is evaluated and the value returned Note that notall spreadsheet formula functions are supported A run time error will occur if an attempt is made to read a cell that contains an unsupported formula In an XML Spreadsheet the value calculated by the formula will be returned if it already exists in the file if not a run time error will result Thus in an XML Spreadsheet the formula is not evaluated at run time SIMPROCESS User s Manual 122 User Defined Distributions a al Auto Fit Properties Name AutoFit1 Cancel File Spreadsheet Database Sac ES Help v Use Spreadsheet Data Source e File Name Browse
187. hich usually have the x1s or x1sx extension and Excel XML Spreadsheet files which usually have the xm1 extension The Spreadsheet tab is used to manage Spreadsheet connections Use this tab to Add Edit Copy or Remove a Spreadsheet Input Source Undo retrieves one that has been removed Selecting Add Edit or Copy brings up the dialog below Spreadsheet Input Source Properties a Name Spreadsheett _ l Cancel File Name Browse c Help Sheet FirstRow None z l View Data 4 Column None v Increment row for next value End of Data Options Continue simulation with no data Continue simulation and repeat data Stop replication Stop simulation x The default Name can be replaced but the Name cannot contain special characters and must be unique across all Input Sources Distributions and Functions Either type in the File Name or select Browse to choose the spreadsheet file It is recommended that the input file be located in the model s directory A Model Attribute of type STRING that contains the name of the file can be used in the File Name field Sheet cannot be empty and should contain the name of the worksheet As with File Name a Model Attribute of type STRING that contains the name of the worksheet can be used in the Sheet field First Row should contain the value of the first row that has input data The evaluation of First Row must result in an INTEGER and must be gre
188. iation with any attributes or expressions defined for this Entity A choice can be made to create a new copy of an attribute or evaluate an expression every time an instance of an Entity is created Alternatively one copy of an attribute can be created or an expression evaluated once for an Entity type and have all instances refer to this value Attributes and expressions are discussed in Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions Document opens an editor window into which extensive comments can be entered about the Entity and the model This is optional The Entity document headings can be customized See document Subdirectory Metadata opens a dialog for metadata entry See the SIMPROCESS Metadata Manual for information on using metadata in a SIMPROCESS model Comment is used to enter brief text describing the purpose of the Entity 4 Click on OK when data entry iscompleted The defined Entity is added to the table in the Entities dialog rn x gt Entities Name Icon Priority Preempt Entity Stats Close Customer Order BlackDot a 5 Add another Entity and name it Shipment Click on the pull down arrow next to the Icon field to get a list of Entity icons SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 97 Defining an Entity f J Entity Type Properties Entity Type Attributes Entity Type Expressions Entity Attributes General Ship
189. ibute assignment you want to modify from the Set Attributes list e Use Remove to delete a previously defined assignment Transform Activity The Transform Activity changes one type of Entity into another type A single arriving Entity can be changed into many output Entities all of the same type a gt Transform Properties Attributes Exoressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts OK General Copy Attributes Resources _ gt Cancel Name Transform V Show Name T Use Text Block Help Icon s Transform X bo ed New Entity Icon Set Default NA New Resource Output Entities Global Attributes Quantity 10 l l Enty Entity Type Entity Type X an ae Resource Duration Model Value None k Units Hours RA Transfer Resources E Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment E 4 Dialog Field Definitions and Buttons Output Entities SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 159 Entity Control Activities e Quantity is the number of new Entities to create This number of each Entity arriving will be generated for every Connector exiting the Activity e Entity Type is the type of Entity to be released Select the type from the pull down list The time specified in the Duration will be applied before the transform occurs thus it will be reflected inthe Cycle Time of the incoming Entities The outgoing Entities will not have
190. ied to each Entity that is Processed based only on the amount of the Resource s capacity that is used to Process the Entity The cost is not calculated based on the time that the Activity takes to complete Example Fuel may be defined as a consumable Resource and cost per unit may be 2 50 per gallon Every time a gallon of fuel is consumed it will cost 2 50 e Cost per Time Unit This cost is calculated based on the amount of Resource capacity used and the time used Example Machine rental charges or hourly salary paid to employ ees are a common example of this type of cost e Time Unit that applies to the Cost per Time Unit Defaults to Hours Fixed Cost Fixed Cost is defined in the box below the Variable Costs box Enter the fixed cost amount in the Per Unit value box and select the time basis for the cost from the selection list below Machine depreciation SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 225 How to Use ABC in SIMPROCESS or fixed salaries are common examples of this type of cost To specify the fully burdened cost of a set of salaried employees represented by this Resource and the cost per employee is 50 000 per year enter 50000 in the Per Unit box and select Yearly from the list below Click the down arrow to the right of the list to see the available items The list contains the same time intervals that are available for the Cost Period Frequency These donot have to be the same in both places SIMPROCESS will perform all the nece
191. imation Animation events are recorded in a file for playback In order for the Record On Off button to be active an animation event file must be set using the Set Record File button The Set Record File button brings up a dialog where the name of the file is entered Do not enter the path to the file Animation event files are automatically created in the model s directory The file name is saved with the model If an animation event file had been previously set the Record On Off button will activate when the toolbar is displayed The Record On Off button is a toggle button When the button is selected animation events are recorded SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 216 Post Simulation Animation Thus recording can be turned on and off multiple times during a simulation The animation option buttons on the System Toolbar or the Animation Settings dialog Simulate Animation Settings menu item control which animation events are recorded Animation On Show Clock and Animation Speed slider do not apply to recording animation events The events recorded are determined by the status of Show Entities Show Counts and Update Dynamic Labels If an item is selected those type of animation events are recorded In the example below only the movement of entities and Activity counts would be recorded Note that the Animation On button is not selected Animation does not need to display during recording Show On C Of 2 T 1 i 100
192. ing were displayed in a Pie chart each section would show how much each statistic contributes to Total In System Product A Cycle Time By State Replication 1 Time in Hours Hold For Conditions Wait For Resources e Processing Wait For Resources Hold For Conditions Pareto Chart Values are displayed as bars along with a line that plots the cumulative percentage each value is of the total As with a Pie chart this chart assumes the charted values sum to a total value The Pie chart example above would also apply to a Pareto chart SIMPROCESS Users Manual 234 Simulation Results Product A Cycle Time By State Replication 1 is Time in Hours Processing Wait For Resources Hold For Conditions Statistic Std Dev Chart The average value of each statistic is displayed as a bar along with a line over each bar that represents the standard deviation of the average This chart is most helpful when the Average of Replications is selected but can be used for any statistic Note that some statistics like Total Count will only have an average and standard deviation for Average of Replications Cycle Time By State Avg of 10 Reps Processing Wait For Resources Hold For Conditions Statistic W Product A W Product B Product C e Min Max Chart Displays each result grouped appropriately with the minimum and maximum values circle
193. inition dialog should be selected for the desired Entities r z Entity Type Properties EntitvExoressions Entity Type Attributes Entity Type Expressions ok General Entity Attributes r Cancel Name Sales Call Help Icon Ro Green Phone ms RJ Document Icon Set Communication EA z etadata Priority 1 _ Preempt Lower Priority Entities v Collect Entity Statistics Comment eee ee O E j SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 246 Custom Statistics Total Count Statistics These statistics show the total number of Entities that have been generated during the simulation how many remain inthe system at the end of the simulation andhow many have exited the system throughout the simulation Entity Count by State Statistics These statistics present the simulation generated Entity count statistics for selected Entity types Statistics are time weighted for Entity counts These statistics show the average number of Entities in the system broken down by four states in process waiting for Resource holding for condition and traveling Cycle Time by State Statistics Cycle Time statistics present the simulation generated cycle time statistics for selected Entity types The cycle time calculations are based on the number of Entities that were processed at the end of the simulation These statistics show the breakdown of the Cycle Time by state The four states that an Entity may be
194. is not empty the text in the Search For field found in expressions will be replaced with the text in the Replace With field There is no undo for replace actions Also replace actions are case sensitive only Selecting Ignore Case will empty and disable the Replace With field Expressions stored in files are not included in searches when the Search For field contains text Once the Search Criteria has been set click the Find button to perform the search Search Results displays the items found The type of each item found Process or Activity Entity Type Resource Function or Model is identified by an icon to the left of the name Process Activity or Entity Type items display a scaled down version of their assigned icons Resource Function and Model display an icon based on the legend to the right of the list The example below shows a search on the CallCenter spm demonstration model The search was a case insensitive search for any expressions containing type Four Activities three Resources and one Function were found r gt Expression Search Search Items Search Criteria Search Results 3 lose Process or Activity Search For Check Queue eose Response Help Entity Type 3 Reneged Calls 5 di Entity Instance Replace With A Balked Calls Ber Resource Edit PI Q Completed Calls d GoTo E Techx Jo Function S Techy D Ignore Case i Techz w7 Model Mode fos AnsweringTime
195. isplay on the dialog If Fast Forward is used before Play SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 217 Post Simulation Animation the time entered fast forwards the playback from the beginning of the simulation Thus if recording did not begin at the start of the simulation it is possible that the time entered for Fast Forward will still be before recording began So when Play is pressed the playback begins where recording started Rewind Rewind is available once playback has started Pressing Rewind brings up a dialog where the amount of time to back up is entered This time must fall within the model s Simulation Time Units The playback starts over at the beginning if the time entered goes past the beginning of the playback Note Both Fast Forward and Rewind have an advantage over animation during simulation During simulation Activity counts and dynamic labels only update when an entity enters or leaves an Activity Process So when navigating through models during a run there is normally a wait for counts and dynamic labels to display the most current values A Fast Forward or Rewind during playback causes all counts and dynamic labels on the current level to immediately update to their values at that time Stop Stop ends the playback Pause When selected the playback pauses Press again to resume the playback Animation Controls The animation buttons on the System Toolbar control what is visible during a simulation animatio
196. istribution None v Suppress Warnings Stream 1 Fitted Distribution ModelFit Alternatives Alte ModelFit Warnings x a 3 Type in the Name any non blank User Distribution name It must be unique across all Distribu tions Input Sources and Functions SIMPROCESS Users Manual 121 User Defined Distributions 4 There are three tabs File Spreadsheet and Database that are used to specify the source of the sample data One or more types of data source can be used However only one list of sample data will be fitted Thus if more than one data source is used the data from all selected sources are combined into one list for distribution fitting 5 The File tab is used to specify an ASCII file as the data source Use File Data Source must be selected to use this type of data source The Browse button can be used to locate the file It is recommended that the file be located in the model s directory Note that the file must contain a single column of numbers with no header and no non numeric values 6 The Spreadsheet tab specifies a spreadsheet as a data source The Spreadsheet can be a Workbook file or an XML Spreadsheet Once Use Spreadsheet Data Source has been selected four fields are required File Name Sheet Name Starting Row and Column The Browse button can be used to locate the spreadsheet file Again it is recommended that the file be in the model s directory Enter the name of the worksheet in the S
197. istributions Input Sources f Functions Global Attributes I Model Expressions 3 Time Stamps Metadata OrgModel gt Templates gt Model Description Entities is used for managing Entity Types in the model CodeVio BlueDot Docket E Blank Mgmt Male Dark Hair Misdemeanor Blanks Parking Blue Car Photo Digital Camera SupportingCaseDocuments Document Folder Trigger Dollar Coin UTC BlackDot Sessa ial Resources is used for managing Resources in the model SIMPROCESS User s Manual SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Type Resource Name Doctor QuotationExpert RiskRatingExpert TypingClerk aay Defined in OrgModel Resource Downtimes is used for managing Resource Downtimes in the model Resource Shifts is used for managing Resource Shifts in the model see Resource Shifts Distributions is used for managing customized Standard Tabular and Auto Fits Distributions Once a Distribution is defined itcan beused throughout the model withouttheneed to redefine the parameters of the distribution See User Defined Distributions on page 118 Input Sources is used to create connections to an external File Spreadsheet or Database Once an Input Source has been defined it can be u
198. it Hours v Verify Model on Run Simulation Time Unit Hours Z RMI Host localhost RMI Port 1099 E i Run Settings Simulation Period The Simulation Period determines how long the simulation will run It is given in calendar and time format Choose an appropriate time span to see all aspects of the system Warmup Every Replication When selected and the values for both the Number of Replications and Warmup Length are greater than 0 SIMPROCESS will start collecting statistics after the Warmup Length has expired for each replication Warmup Length If a Warmup Length is entered SIMPROCESS will start the collection of statistics for the model run after the end ofthe Warmup Length This gathers information on your system after it has reached Steady State Warmup Time Unit The Warmup Time Unit specifies the time unit for the Warmup Length It defaults to Hours Simulation Time Unit The Simulation Time Unit specifies the time unit for the simulation clock It defaults to Hours SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 137 Run Settings Reset System Resets the system to the initial conditions before each replication Verify Model on Run Turns the automatic model verification on or off at the beginning of a simulation The verification process checks for potential errors See Verify Model on page 66 Number of Replications When the model contains randomness represented by statistical distribution
199. itical to strategically pricing the products i e understanding when the total investment in product development can be recouped is valuable information for strategic pricing ABC with SIMPROCESS allows simulation of the Process changes during the life cycle ofa product service for strategic or time based pricing Evaluation of Capital Investments Reengineering business Processes requires a trade off between the benefits and costs ofmaking Process improvement changes Without the trade off executives and managers are faced with making large investment decisions based on gut feel SIMPROCESS User s Manual 221 How to Use ABC in SIMPROCESS How to Use ABC in SIMPROCESS To get Process cost information from a SIMPROCESS model first define the costs of the model s Resources and the cost periods to be analyzed SSIMPROCESS will distribute these costs to activities and to Entities as the simulation proceeds and provide extensive reporting of the results based on user specified cost reporting periods In order to provide a comprehensive cost analysis SIMPROCESS differentiates between fixed costs and several types of variable costs that can be assigned to a Resource SIMPROCESS allows multiple cost periods to be analyzed simultaneously and allows model level definition of costing periods These features help to bridge the gap between an accountant s view anda manager s view ofabusiness Process provide an effective communication vehicle for
200. ity that will be applied when the Entities are released Each Entity released will have a duration unless the Entities were batched In that case there is only one duration for the Batched Entity Synchronize Activity A Synchronize Activity coordinates the release of many Entities which may be of various types The number of input output Pads for a Synchronize Activity is specified Entities arriving at each Pad are stored in separate queues Each queue releases one Entity to its corresponding output Pad when each queue has at least one Entity A project may require four jobs to be done in parallel with the work kept in step at various tasks within the process All others must be at the same stage of completion before work can proceed on one job Synchronize Activity may be used with four Pads to model the wait time and release of the parallel tasks SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 156 Entity Related Activities gt Synchronize Properties General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts OK Name Synchronize17 V Show Name Use Text Block Cancel f Help Icon 33 Synchronize vB iH a Icon Set Default r New Entity New Resource Number of Pads 0 Global Attributes Rank Method a Entity Ranked As Firstin First Out z L Entity Type Attribute v Resource j Model Duration Value None lt ii Units Hours z _ Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by En
201. ivity which is triggered when it receives an Entity that is generated hourly by a Generate Activity Gating policies can be effective concurrently so this Activity can implement a truck leaving when it is full or on the hour even if it is not full Note that Entities can be released from Gate Activities using Expressions See Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions for information on Expressions Also see Methods ReleaseEntity Gate GetEntity EntityExists m gt Gate Properties ON LN s General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Biock Documentation Counts Name Gate1 V Show Name T Use Text Block Cancel Icon Gate T bag L Hep IconSet Default eA New Entity F Batch Entities New Resource Batched Entity Entitys m e Global Attributes Rank Method Entity Ranked As First in First Out Z Entity Type Attribute Entity TriagerNum v Resource Threshold Release Model V On Threshold Quantity 0 0 v Trigger Release Release All Quantity 40 v Sequence Number None v Remember Trigger Duration Value None v i I Units Hours EA E Collect Activity Statistics E Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment L E Dialog Field Definitions Batch Entities will batch the Entities before leaving the Activity SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 154 Entity Related Activities Batched Entity is the type of Entity that
202. ject value to add Attribute information Again the Attributes must exist in the receiving model Use CreateTime for name to set the releasing Entity s creation time and use Priority for name to set the releasing Entity s priority The value for CreateTime must be a Double and the value for Priority must be an Integer The instance of RemoteTransferEntity must be sent to the receiving model using a Java Socket java net Socket created with the IP address and port specified on Remote Transfer tab of Run Settings of the receiving model The receving model will return the String Success if there were no errors Below is the constructor and all public methods of RemoteTransferEntity e public RemoteTransferEntity String modelName String transferName double simTime String timeUnit String sendingTransferName e public void addAttribute String name Object value ublic String getModelName ublic ublic tring getTransferName ouble getSimTime ublic ublic ashMap lt String Object gt getAttrMap Gn TOE FOUN TO FO S d ublic String getTimeUnit H S tring getSendingTransferName Remote Transfer Example As an example consider two manufacturing or production models on the same machine one representing on site production and the other representing off site production The on site production SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 171 Entity Control Activities model contains a T
203. k file The bck file is created or updated when you initiate a save See page 16 for information on the backup file Maximum Number of Files on Recent File List sets the number of files on the File menu The default is 4 and the allowable values are 0 through 9 Email contact for published models is where the email address is set that is to be used with models published via the Publish Model to HTML feature If an entry is present the popup menu that appears in published models when holding the mouse over any Process or Activity will include a mailto link with this address having a default subject line containing the complete path to the Activity or Process This is provided so that viewers can offer feedback or ask questions This email address is not validated Note that not all email clients will properly handle the use of the subject portion of a mailto link Maximum Number of Edit Log Entries sets the limit of entries in the model s edit log The default is unlimited 0 entry Display Activity Properties Viewer toggles the display of the Activity Properties Viewer dialog This dialog can be resized and remains visible until deselected here or the dialog is closed Note that closing the dialog will turn off this setting Selecting any Activity or Process on the layout will display certain Activity and Process properties When an Activity is selected the Activity duration in its Duration field displays in the Duration Informatio
204. ked Create Entity Debug Traces causes the creation of the debug traces defined in the box to the right If no debug traces are defined no debug traces are created during the simulation run Click the Add button to define a debug trace This brings up a dialog for defining the debug trace Entity Debug Trace i J Debug Trace Name Trace1 Debug Trace File Trace1 tt Entities A Add gt Remove P gt Remove All Initialize End Processing _ Hold Accept Free Resource _ Release From Hold _ Get Resource __ Release Clone __ Begin Processing _ Dispose _ Assemble Interrupt Processing Batch Split Resume Processing Unbatch _ Transform Debug Trace Name is the name of the trace that will appear in the list of traces Debug Trace File is the name of the debug trace file to be created Ifno path is included the file will be created in the directory of the model Select the Entities to be included in the trace Entity types to be included should be moved from the list of entities on the left to the list of entities on the right The checkboxes at the bottom are the Entity actions that can be included in the trace Note that the Clone Assemble Split and Transform actions apply to the Entity that initiates the action not the Entity or Entities that result from the action Each debug trace file is a tab delimit
205. l Simply select the Export check box next to the icons to export and click OK Using the Browse button select the directory for the exported images W evor xon waoe w rae M Icon Name Category Icon Set Goods Activity Process Business Laat Standard a Handshake Activity Process Business Kyl Standard Industry Activity Process Business S Standard Insurance Expert Activity Process Business 3h Standard Loading Activity Process Business a Standard Logistics Activity Process Business Standard Manage brings up a dialog that lists the imported icons This dialog changes the Icon Name Category Icon Set or Deletes the icon Icons that were imported for the currently active model will have a pair of asterisks before the name aoro O O O Icon Name Icon Set Category Entity a Floppy Disk a j Imported bd Delete g i Activity Process Porche 911 Imported v an Delete vat aye nae E 2 Entity L Activity Process Runner Imported v a Delete Entity i Activity Process Basketball Imported v Delete ae SIMPROCESS User s Manual 205 Activity Gantt Chart Activity Gantt Chart Gantt charts of the Activities and Processes in a model can be created after a simulation completes This Report menu option is a
206. l counts are hidden if Show Counts is not selected See Animation Settings beginning on page 65 for more information When selected the Color of the count and its optional count bar can be specified If Show Count Bar is selected a vertical bar will display showing the relative value of the count Maximum Bar Height is the maximum value that will be displayed by the vertical bar If the count goes above the maximum the actual count value will display but the vertical bar will not change If an Activity can have a Duration and can have Resources assigned there will also be the options Display Wait Count which represents the number of Entities waiting for Resources at the Activity and Display Processing Count which represents the number of Entities processing at the Activity If the Activity can hold Entities in any type of queue there will be the option Display Hold Count which represents the number of Entities holding for a condition at the Activity Below is the Counts tab for a Gate Activity It has all four options San Gate Properties General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts OK Display Options Cancel V Display Activity Count Color GS Z Help Show Count Bar Maximum Bar Height 100 New Entity Display Options New Resource Display wait Count color B Rea z Global Attributes Show Count Bar Maximum Bar Height 100 Entity En
207. lds and Attributes tab can be selected SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 160 Entity Control Activities e Copy Creation Time copies the simulation creation time of the original Entity to the transformed Entities Copy Time Stamps applies the list of predefined timestamps carried by the arriving Entity to transformed Entities e Copy Entity Priority applies the priority of the arriving Entity to transformed Entities The transformed Entity receives the default Priority value defined in the Entity Type unless it is copied User Defined Entity Attribute values associated with the incoming Entity may also be copied During simulation different variable types Integer Real Boolean and String can be added to an Entity Click on OK when finished to leave the dialog confirming your current selections The Cancel button cancels the current dialog selections Branch Activity A Branch Activity routes Entities to different paths of the process model It allows modeling decision processes with alternative pathways selected depending on the result In the Branch Activity detail dialog you select the type of branching criteria to use Probability Entity Type Attribute value Priority Smallest Value or Largest Value The precise criteria are specified on the Connectors associated with the Branch Consider the case where the order fulfillment process for new customers requires a step that is not needed for repeat customers such as c
208. le items can be selected individually by pressing the Control key during selection In addition there are buttons to assist in selection Select All Selects all Activities and Processes Select All Processes Selects all Processes Select All Activities Selects all Activities Select Subordinate This button is active when a single Process is selected It selects all Activ ities and Processes subordinate to the selected Process Deselect All Removes all selections Just because an Activity or Process is selected in the tree does not mean that it will be included in the chart Activities and Processes with zero cycle time will not be included By default Display Total Time is selected In addition to total cycle time if an Activity has a specified delay time it will have Processing time ifan Activity requires Resources it most likely will have Wait for Resource time and if an Activity queues Entities is will most likely have Hold for Condition time Some Activities can have all three There are options to include all three subsets of total cycle SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 206 Activity Gantt Chart time These can be displayed without Display Total Time selected but at least one time option must be selected The example below shows Wait for Resource time and Processing time No Activities have Hold for Condition time ny x Purchasing Replication 1 Simulation Time 1 Jan 3 Jan 5 Jan 7 Jan 9 Jan 11
209. ll appear listing the names that are not unique a Import Icon Images File Name Icon Name Category Icon Set KE Activity Process bar_graph png Bar Graph Imported v Entity Cancel Help Activity Process coins png Coins Imported X Entity gt Activity Process money_bag png Money Bag Imported Bw F us Entity Activity Process pie_graph png Pie Graph Imported Entity Activity Process piggy_bank png Piggy Bank Imported v I Entity 4 Activity Process walletpng Wallet Imported vv Entity Note Copies of imported graphics are placed by SIMPROCESS in the UserFiles jar file located in the SIMPROCESS working directory see SIMPROCESS Working Directory If the graphic is imported for the currently active model acopy of the graphicis placedintheModelImages jar file located in the model s directory Export exports images to a directory It lists all the icons in SIMPROCESS whether standard to SIMPROCESS or imported The export dialog will list the Icon Name Category Icon Set and whether the icon is Standard Imported or Model Standard indicates the icon was included as part of the SIMPROCESS User s Manual 204 Importing Graphics Image Files SIMPROCESS installation Imported means the icon was imported for use by any SSMPROCESS model Model signifies the icon was imported for use by the currently active SIMPROCESS mode
210. lot at Simulation Start E Display Plot on Remote Server Remote Server URL Comment m Defaults will apply if Graph Name X Axis Label or Y Axis Label are left blank The X Axis Type defaults to Standard Axis with Hours selected for the Simulation Time Unit When Date Axis is selected Label Format activates Label Format designates the type of date and or time labels to display on the X axis The possible options for Label Format are Date Time and Date and Time Note that the Time format should only be used when the simulation length is 24 hours or less The date and time formats adjust based on the location selected for the operating system A United States location will display Jan 21 2005 as 1 21 05 whereas a European location will display as 21 1 05 The plot properties default to hide the plot and to not display the plot on a remote server The plot properties dialog will display X SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 261 Real Time Plots Axis Type and Value Time Unit based on the plot type and the value being plotted Traces of cycle times will offer both options All other traces will only offer the X Axis Type option Histograms of cycle times will offer the Value Time Unit option All other histograms will not have either option The Bin Width field for histograms must have a value greater than zero Meter and Thermometer Properties In addition to Trace and Histogram plots Attributes can have Meter and Thermometer
211. lt1 Process1 Alt1 em Jeo os Inside Process1 ed Yorke i so de 5 9 amp 33 4 2 Bea Jve gt Input Pad Output Pad gt These Pads connect any Processes and Activities at this level of the sub process to the Activities and Processes at the next higher level Once the input and output Pad are connected by Connectors Entities flow from level to level Activities and Processes may be added within the sub process to detail the tasks being performed SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 102 Defining Resources and Processes NOTE Make sure the Input and Output Pads are connected on all sub processes If this is not done Entities will have no path to follow across the Process Entities entering the Process will never emerge again Master Processes A hierarchical Process can be designated as a Master Process If a Process is designated as a Master Process any copies of the Master Process pasted within the same model are linked to the Master Process Any changes made to the Master Process can be applied to all the copies of the Master Process Copies of a Master Process cannot be edited Select Master Process on the Process properties to designate a Process as a Master Process c 7 Process Properties General Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts Name Process9 V Show Name T Use Text Block Cancel Icon Defaulticon
212. mat e SaveAs Saves a previously saved plot under a new name Export Saves the plot as an encapsulated postscript file e Print Prints the plot e Close Closes the plot window Edit Menu Format Format Changes the format of the plot SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 266 Real Time Plots e Title Service Calls Cycle Times Trace Caption Grid v Stems E Connect F XLabel Simulation Time in Hours Use Color iv YLabel Value in Minutes Use Line Styles X Range 0 003934866177080498 5 389946628754923 YRange 8105157065370562 30 08583826251507 Sei none points dots various bigdots pixels X Ticks Y Ticks Coma nea Special Menu About Help Clear Fill Reset axes About Lists information on plot developers Help Limited information on zooming plots e Clear Erases the values plotted e Fill No effect on plot Reset Axes Resets axes ranges to starting values Plot Buttons Button functions as seen from left to right are as follows IE Prints the plot Same as File Print Resets the X and Y ranges to their original values Same as Special Reset Axes SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 267 Real Time Plots Sets the plot format Same as Edit Format e Rescales the plot to fit the data Used after zooming to return to full view of plot Plot Zooming Once the simulation is compl
213. mation on templates and Libraries When a model is saved SIMPROCESS assigns it an internal model ID Each time a Process or Activity is added from a template in a Library the model ID is checked against one stored with the template to determine whether the template was originally created from that same model If it was the creation of Attributes Resources Entities and other items is suppressed based on the presumption that they will already be present in the model Each time a copy ofa model is saved using the Save As command the internal model ID is changed Saving a copy of the model to another name to give to team members involved in collaborative model development is therefore not ideal Any templates they might create from the copy would not share the model ID of the original This results in duplication of Attributes Resources Entities and other items into the master model when the team member s efforts are merged back into it via Library templates The Group ID identifies models created with Save As as belonging to the master model using Assign Group ID on an open model causes that model to become a master model Save As does not change the Group ID Thus if the master model has a Group ID assigned every copy of the master model made via Save As will carry the same Group ID When a template is placed into a Library from any Process or Activity the Group ID will be stored in the template along with the model ID When a template is added to
214. me e O PRA L x jJ m Alignment ett canei Center Right Dynamic Label Properties Name numwaiting Id 0 paaee Mode Integer x Width 10 Value Sales Calls Number Waiting Precision 3 Resource be Font Attributes Font Name Serif Size 18 Color Black 7 Bola Italic Angle Comment The Value field can be changed by selecting a different value using one of the six Set Value buttons Select the Clear Value button to clear the Value field As stated earlier leaving the Value field empty means the dynamic label can only be updated using expressions Although it is not necessary add a Static Label to the dynamic label definition The Static Label should be fully contained on one line If this is not done there will be no place holder for the dynamic label on the layout after the dialog is closed This label can still be found by dragging a rubber band box in the selection mode around the area where it was placed A very small selection box may appear SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 199 Background Text at the location of the label The label s properties can then be edited by choosing Edit Properties off the menu Also addinga static label to the side ofthe dynamic label makes it simplerto find the dynamic label location and provides a description of the value being updated The static label is no
215. me during the simulation Total Downtime Trace and Total Downtime Histogram These reports show the amount of a Resource s units which are not available due to unplanned and planned downtime during the simulation Attribute Value Statistics The attribute value statistics must be specified in the dialogs where attributes themselves are defined Ifthe attributes are defined while Resources are being defined then the statistics must be selected where those attributes are defined Time Weighted Average This collects time weighted statistics for Resource attributes Observation Based Average This collects observation based statistics for Resource attributes Real Time Histogram Plot This displays a histogram of the attribute s values SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 252 Custom Statistics Real Time Trace Plot This displays a trace of the attribute s values Real Time Meter Plot This displays the attribute s value on a meter Real Time Thermometer Plot This displays the attribute s value on a thermometer Standard Report Displays the results in the Standard Report Process Activity Statistics Process Activity Statistics provide detailed information about the numbers of Entities entering and leaving particular Processes Activities during a simulation SIMPROCESS provides seven types of Activity statistics e Total Entity Counts e Total Entity Counts by Entity e Entity Count by State e Entity Co
216. ment Mit ment Metadata MM BlueSquare Preemptl amp piueTriangle GreenDot o GreenSquare Comment The list may be a lot longer than it first appears Click near the top of the scroll bar to see more list items Select GreenDot Then click on OK The icon selected will appear on the button next to the icon list Clicking the button will bring up a dialog that shows the display size of the icon The width and height used during a simulation can be changed The minimum for width and height is 10 and the maximum is 100 A default size for Entity icons can be specified in the Preferences Icon Preview Width 28 Height 28 gt SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 98 Defining an Entity E Entities S Name Icon Priority Preempt Entity Stats Close Customer Order BlackDot 1 I cose _ GreenDot E a Note that the basic properties of Entities added to the model can be edited directly from the table However changes made in the table are direct changes to the properties of the Entity and cannot be canceled Also the table can be sorted by a particular column by clicking on the column header Holding the Shift key while clicking on a column header causes the table to sort in the reverse order Copy the properties of an existing Entity such as the one just defined by selecting the Entity in the table and click on the Copy button Enter a different E
217. mic model simulates the flow of materials and information through the Process The dynamic model accounts for the random variations in how work is done and the way materials and information flow through the real world Simulation offers several advantages over a simple pictorial abstraction ofa business Process SIMPROCESS employs discrete event simulation to capture the time varying nature of the Process under study SIMPROCESS advantages include e First the analyst can correlate the data produced by the model with measurements taken from the real Processes to increase certainty that the model has adequately captured the essential features of the real Process e Second the model will generate quantified Process measurements such as excess capacity or bottlenecks the time it takes work items to flow through the Process and the percentage of time expended in value adding Processes versus non value adding Processes e Third the model allows the analyst to evaluate in quantified terms the effects of re engineering the Process SIMPROCESS User s Manual 10 What is SIMPROCESS What is SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS is a hierarchical and integrated Process simulation tool that radically improves your productivity for Process modeling and analysis SIMPROCESS is designed for BPR and IT professionals of industrial and service enterprises that need to reduce the time andrisk it takes to service customers fulfill demand and develop new
218. minology This manual uses the following words and definitions in its description of SIMPROCESS Activities An Activity is a basic step ina model where an operation is performed onan Entity Examples of Activities are Generate Delay and Dispose An Activity may or may not involve passage of time or Resource requirements Attributes are system and user defined variables of model elements whose value can change during the course of a simulation run Attributes may be used to alter the behavior of a Process by changing their value during a simulation They can also be used to communicate information such as system time between two Processes in a model or store data collected during a simulation run Connectors link Activities and Processes together and are paths used by Entities to flow through the model Connectors can have delay times Cycle time An Entity s cycle time is the sum of the Processing times and delays it encounters as it is processed in the model Entities represents people goods or information Most are produced as a result ofa Process or Activity Entities are generally created at the Generate Activity although other Activities e g Batch Assemble may produce Entity instances as well Entities must enter a Dispose Activity to ensure statistics collection Hierarchical Processes The concept of a Process provides hierarchical modeling capabilities A Process is a collection of Activities and sub Processes organized
219. mplete Calls 4 OoOo Average Cycle Time e ss Gantt Chart Logic SIMPROCESS uses the following logic to create a Gantt chart e An Activity or Process that does not have a preceding Activity or Process is considered to be the first Activity or Process in an Activity Process sequence flow For example every Generate Activity marks the start of at least one sequence flow The starting time for all sequence flows is the starting date and time of the model e The sequencing of Activities and Processes uses the total cycle time for each Activity and Pro cess All sequence flows include every Activity and Process but only the Activities and Processes selected in the tree will be displayed in the chart This means there can be gaps in the chart if all Activities are not selected e Loops within sequence flows are ignored e Connector delay times are not included e Duplicate Activity or Process names will have the name of the immediate parent Process in parentheses after the name If there are duplicates of this combination the chart will only con tain the last Activity parent Process combination SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 209 Activity Gantt Chart e When Activities or Processes are in parallel such as Activities following a Split Activity or are in an exclusive or arrangement such as Activities following a Branch Activity and the flow rejoins into a single flow the first Activity or Process with cycle time will start at the
220. mum number of Entities that fit in one batch Batched Entity is the type of Entity that will serve as the container or parent Entity An Entity of this type is created and all other Entities become children of the parent Maximum Hold Time is the maximum amount of time to hold before a batch that has met the Minimum Quantity requirement is released Minimum Quantity is the minimum number of Entities that must be in a batch before it can be released Additional Batch Settings determines if additional information should be used in creating batches The options are e None default e Attribute Entity Type SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 151 Entity Related Activities e Priority Ifan option other than None is selected batches will be created based on common values for the selected option For example if Entity Type is selected all Entities of the same type waiting in the Batch Activity will be batched together Thus if more than one type of Entity is in the Batch Activity more than one Batched Entity will be created one for each type of Entity in the Batch Activity Each batch will only contain Entities of the same type When Attribute is selected the User Defined or System Attribute to group by must be selected from the adjoining list See Using Attributes in SIMPROCESS for more information on User Defined and System Attributes Since the value of the selected Attribute willbe the same for all Entities in the batc
221. n and they control what is visible during animation playback Just like during simulation animation disabling Show Entities will stop the display of the movement of entities Show Counts and Update Dynamic Labels work similarly Remember the Animation On setting has no effect on animation playback Also these animation settings have no effect if those particular animation events were not recorded SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 218 CHAPTER 7 Activity Based Costing The purpose of this introduction to Activity Based Costing ABC is to summarize its basic principles and describe the benefits of the integration provided with SIMPROCESS A list of ABC references is provided in the back of the chapter for further reading The goal of ABC is to mimic the causal relationships among Resources Activities and Entities in assigning overhead costs The fundamental belief behind this costing approach is that cost is caused and causes of cost can be managed The closer you can come to relating the costs to their causes the more helpful your accounting information will be in guiding the management decisions of your business states the Ernst amp Young Guide to Total Cost Management Ernst amp Young 1992 Enterprises use Resources to conduct activities Resources perform activities to add value to products and services The key to understanding cost dynamics in any enterprise is modeling the relationship between activities and their causes a
222. n Time Unit Hours RMI Port 1099 r Run Settings Som Expression Options I Time Server Remote Transfer I Random Numbers Run Settings Cost Periods Debug Traces Simulation Period Cancel mmiddiyyyy hh mm ss msec usec nsec Help Start 01701 2014 00 00 00 E 00 2 ooo oo0 Help E Setting the Start and End Dates The values chosen for the Start and End fields determine how long the simulation runs in calendar time A simulated month of processing can be specified as Start 1 1 2014 00 00 00 000 000 000 End 2 1 2014 00 00 00 000 000 000 This indicates a starting date of January 1 2014 at midnight and an end date of February 1 2014 at midnight The simulation terminates as soon as the clock strikes midnight at the end of January 31 The calendar button next to each date field can be used to set the date for that field The calendar button causes a graphical calendar to appear The date selected on the graphical calendar populates the appropriate date field SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 107 Simulation Setup A time must be entered or the hours minutes seconds nanoseconds microseconds and milliseconds fields default to zero NOTE Remember that Start and End dates for objects in the model must be coordinated those with the simulation run dates For example a Generate Activity with Start and End dates that fall outside of the simulation Start and End dates will
223. n be stored in a Library for reuse SIMPROCESS Menus File Menu New Ctrl N Open Ctrl O Open Recent Open Directory gt Close Model Properties Group ID fa Save Ctrl S Save As Import Export Bundle gt Print Exit New creates a new model file Open loads a previously saved model If the model directory see Save As below does not exist it is created during the Open process Open Recent contains a list of recently opened models The first item is Clear Menu which removes all recently opened models from the Open Recent menu Open Directory is a list of SIMPROCESS file directories Installation Working Models Metamodel OrgModel and SPUser Selecting a directory opens the system file explorer to that directory Close closes the active model SIMPROCESS Users Manual 15 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Model Properties opens a dialog that tracks the edit history of a model Group ID controls the Group ID of a model There are two sub menu items e Assign Group ID e Clear Group ID Assign Group ID will be enabled ifno Group ID is assigned to the model if one is assigned Clear Group ID will be enabled No dialog is displayed by either action If used the Group ID is created internally by SIMPROCESS Assigning a Group ID facilitates collaborative work on a model using a master model and templates placed into a Library See Reusable Templates and Libraries for more infor
224. n field and the Resource usage information displays in the Resource Usage field When an Activity or a Process is selected the text in its Comment field displays in the Comment Field section and the text of the Documentation displays in the Documentation Text section The File URL field will display the contents of that same field from the Documentation tab of the properties dialog for the selected Activity or Process If enabled the View button will attempt to launch your preferred web browser for a URL or suitable application for the file if it contains any path SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 33 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus information By providing easy access to key Activity or Process properties this feature is ideal for use in model review and validation See Common Activity Input Fields on page 81 r Activity Properties Viewer vol Duration Information Resource Usage Comment Field Documentation Text URLFile ol Activity Browser Activity Browser is a feature for navigating among the Activities A dialog lists all the Activities and Processes contained in the model Any name preceded by a signifies a hierarchical Process or a Process Alternative Double clicking on the Process or Process Alternative name will expand the tree diagram displaying Activities and Processes underneath Double clicking on the Activity name will bring up the properties of the Activi
225. n the Resource was available That is downtime planned or unplanned is not included The time available is considered to be the total time for the Resource Thus if a Resource has no downtime defined then the percentages for idle busy and reserved will be the same forthe calculations including downtime and the calculations not including downtime Utilization by Activity Statistics These statistics show the average number of units that were busy by Activity Utilization by Shift Statistics These statistics show the average number of units that were busy by Resource Shift See Resource Shifts for information on defining and using Resource Shifts Real time Plots These reports display the simulation generated instantaneous capacity allocations for each of the five Resource states The reports present their data while the simulation is running This may slow the simulation but they provide arunning view of the Resource s behaviorthroughoutthe simulation Real time plots are selected under the Report menu item Real Time Plots SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 251 Custom Statistics All report data is shown on an X Y plot where the horizontal X Axis represents simulation time and the vertical Y Axis shows the Resource s units One chart is produced for each selected Resource Plots may be customized and hidden See Real Time Plots on page 259 Capacity Trace and Capacity Histogram These reports show the capacity
226. nce Intervals is activated if the Average of All Replications report is selected Calculate Confidence Intervals allows selection of 90 95 or 99 confidence intervals for each performance measure Next select to view the Standard Report with a Text Editor Notepad by default on Windows witha Spreadsheet or with the Report Viewer see Report Viewer Press the Display Report button to open the report l4 hl Standard Report s Sum of All 5 replications Close Average of All 5 replications peo Replication 1 Hep Replication 2 Replication 3 SSE Display Report I Replication 4 pay er Replication 5 Calculate Confidence Intervals 90 ii Display In QT i CELE Set Text Editor Application Notepad v l Browse Spreadsheet Report Viewer E JI To view the Standard Report with a spreadsheet select Spreadsheet then use the Browse button to point to its executable i e Excel exe Once the spreadsheet is open the Standard Report data is best viewed in the left justified mode and with AutoFit checked for the columns Default Performance Measures SIMPROCESS will collect by default the following performance statistics on Entities and Resources For each Entity defined in the model Cycle Time and Count statistics are displayed e For each Resource defined in the model average and maximum number of units busy is measured and shown as a percent of capacity SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 243
227. nd the relationship between activities and costs If cost dynamics are not modeled which is usually the case with traditional management accounting information systems the performance information provided is incomplete or misleading SIMPROCESS User s Manual 219 ABC and SIMPROCESS ABC and SIMPROCESS Activity Based Costing is a technique for accumulating cost for a given cost object i e product service customer that represents the total and true economic Resources required or consumed by the object General Activity Products Ledger Cost Pools Services Activity Based Costing occurs in two phases First cost data is organized into Activity cost pools In other words the costs of significant activities are determined This first phase is sometimes referred to as Activity based Process costing Then the amounts in the cost pools are assigned to products services or other cost objects The second phase is referred to as Activity based object costing The architecture of SIMPROCESS provides an integrating framework for ABC ABC embodies the concept that a business is a series of inter related Processes and that these Processes consist ofactivities that convert inputs to outputs The modeling approach in SIMPROCESS manifests this concept and builds on it by organizing and analyzing cost information on an Activity basis Resources x mae a Activities One of the major challenges in successful implementation of
228. ne whether thename shouldbe displayed Show Name whetheran OrgModel Node Org Node should be assigned to the swimlane Assign OrgModel Node whether the name should be displayed horizontally or vertically Name Orientation horizontal swimlanes only and the Font Attributes for the name Name Lane1 V Show Name Assign OrgModel Node Name Orientation Horizontal Vertical Metadata Font Attributes Font Name Serif z Size h2 D Color H Black x W Bold Italic SIMPROCESS Users Manual 47 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Edit the properties to set the appropriate name and display characteristics Assign OrgModel Node is not enabled if there are no OrgModels assigned to the SIMPROCESS model See the SIMPROCESS OrgModel Manual for more information on creating OrgModels and assigning OrgModels to a SIMPROCESS model When enabled and selected Assign OrgModel Node displays a tree view of the OrgModels assigned to the SIMPROCESS model gt Assigned OrgModels EJE Justice System OrgModels B J DemosiCityOrganization J Metropolis Citizens B City Council Ei Legal Administration City Management Police E J Municipal Court E J Court Clerk Office Court Clerks Bailiff Photo Office Records To assign an Org Node select a node from the tree and click OK Once an Org Node has been assigned to a swimlane
229. net Explorer and go to Tools and select Internet Options Select the Advanced tab and scroll down to the Security category Check the option Allow active content to run in files on MyComputer SIMPROCESS Manuals opens the SJMPROCESS Getting Started Manual each part Part A Part B Part C and Appendices of the SIMPROCESS User s Manual the SIMPROCESS Metadata Manual and the SIMPROCESS OrgModel Manual These PDF files are the complete documentation set for SIMPROCESS They will open using the application designated for PDF files by the platform on which SIMPROCESS is installed On Linux systems there mustbea view properties fileas described for the View button on the Documentation tab of Activity and Process properties dialogs See Common Activity Input Fields on page 81 System Information displays a dialog that lists the relevant system information It also includes a Run GC button This button calls Java garbage collection and updates the Java memory information About SIMPROCESS displays information about SIMPROCESS including the version the copyright and technical support information SIMPROCESS Users Manual 72 CHAPTER 2 SIMPROCESS Basics A SIMPROCESS model contains the following components e Processes e Activities e Fntities e Resources e Connectors e Pads Processes and Activities represent business operations in a SIMPROCESS model SIMPROCESS models can be arranged in a hierarchy with Processe
230. ng 89 96 99 deleting 99 destruction of 95 152 disposal of 95 152 duplicate Clone Activity 172 Generate activity and 89 icon selecting 96 97 input to Gate Activity 153 instance defined 96 parent entities 150 151 3 155 preempting lower priority 195 priority 96 164 changing 158 in Assign Activity 158 of transformed entity 161 released by Gate Activity 153 removing 99 reports 246 Transform Activity and 159 type defined 96 entities defining 61 Entities accumulating 153 Entities batching See Batch Activity Entities limiting number in Dispose 95 entity count 247 Entity Related Activities 148 Experiment Menu 70 Define Experiments 70 Run All Experiments 70 Run Selected Experiments 70 Run Specific Experiment 70 Exporting Activity List 19 Graphics Image File 19 Publish Model to HTML 25 Simulation Results 19 Ultimus Workflow 22 UML Activity Model 22 XPDL Model 22 F File Menu 15 26 Close 15 Exit 26 Export 19 Import 17 New 15 Open 15 Print 26 Save 16 Save As 16 Free Resource Activity 190 192 Functions defining 62 G Gate Activity 153 155 entity release policies 153 gating policies 153 Threshold Release 155 Trigger Release Quantity 155 used as a buffer 153 Generate Activity 89 91 Define Entity 89 defining 89 91 entities generated 89 91 Interval 90 91 Quantity 89 time between entity generation events 90 91 Get Resource Activity 189 190 gif 202 graphics importing 202 grid c
231. ng Plot Group Custom plots can be assigned to groups Groups are based on Activities and Processes A plot can be assigned to any group but can only belong to one group Plot groups only apply to custom plots or Activity Process plots from Real Time Plots Activities tab on the Report menu See Real Time Plots on page 259 Setting Plot Group Plot groups allow custom plots to be associated with a particular Process or Activity and they limit the number of plots in the Display Real Time Plots dialog The latter can be valuable if there are many custom plots and or Activity plots defined in a model Display Real Time Plots on the Report menu or the tool bar brings up a dialog that lists all of the hidden plots in the model This list can be restricted by assigning custom plots to groups For instance below is a portion of a model that models hardware and software sales and hardware and software service There are two subprocesses Sales Process and Service Process SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 275 Custom Plots Select Call Type Hardware Service Calls Hardware Sales Call A Software Sales Call r Software Service Calls Plots can be assigned to these Processes so that when one of the Processes is selected only the plots assigned to its group appear when Display Real Time Plots is selected To set the plot group click the Set Plot Group button on the Custom Plot Properties dialog This opens a dialog that has
232. ngle output Entity Consider a case where two approvals and a check are required to form one approved loan An Assemble Activity can be used to model this process Assemble has two input Pads Component and Trigger and two output Pads Out and NoMatch that determine Entity behavior The Component Pad places incoming Entities into a queue until all Entities to be assembled have arrived An Entity entering the Component Pad not on the component Entity list will immediately leave the Assemble Activity through the NoMatch Pad The Trigger Pad is only relevant if Hold for Trigger is selected as one of the Activity s options Entities entering the Trigger Pad can trigger the release of the assembled Entities Assembled Entities are only released when an Entity suchas a Customer Order arrives atthe Trigger Pad The triggercan bereleased by using the FireTrigger System Method instead of having an Entity enter the Trigger Pad The name of the Activity must be unique within the model for the system method to work properly See SIMPROCESS System Methods SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 148 Entity Related Activities r gt Assemble Properties General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts oK Name Assemble1 Show Name Use Text Block Cancel Icon a Assemble b a i a Help 5 Icon Set Default MA New Entity Rank Method New Resource Ranked A
233. nits Hours v Units Hours ad v Collect Connector Statistics Collect Connector by Entity Statistics Comment L Entity Count Reports Total Entity Count Thisreport shows the total number of Entities that 1 have arrived at the Connector 2 are remaining in the Connector at the end of the simulation and 3 have traversed the Connector These statistics can be broken down by Entity type Entity Count This report shows the average and maximum Entity counts These can be broken down by Entity type Cycle Time Statistics These statistics present the simulation generated cycle time statistics for the selected Connector and are calculated based on the Entity counts for the selected Connectors The cycle time calculations are SIMPROCESS Users Manual 257 Custom Statistics based on the number of Entities that were processed at the end of the simulation These statistics can be broken down by Entity type Real time Plots Real time Plots display statistics while the simulation is running The charts are generated for each Connector selected The observation points are connected in trace charts to improve their visibility and are not meant to suggest continuity Plots may be customized and hidden See Real Time Plots on page 259 Cycle Times Trace and Cycle Times Histogram Individual cycle time measurements for each Connector Entity Counts Trace and Entity Counts Histogram Number of Entitie
234. ntity Name and make any other changes on the Entity Type Properties screen and then click on OK Remove an existing Entity by selecting the Entity and clicking on the Remove button The Undo button restores Entity definitions that have been removed Click on Close when Entities are defined SIMPROCESS Users Manual 99 Defining Resources and Processes Defining Resources and Processes Resources The next thing to define in the model are the Resources required to process Customer Order Entities To keep things simple define just one Resource the clerks needed to process customer orders 1 Select Resources from the Define pull down menu or click on the Define Resources button on the Model Toolbar 2 Select Add to define a new Resource f Resource Properties General Cost Downtime Attributes Expressions Name Resource1 Cancel Units 1 X Help j on Fractional Usage Jetadata Consumable Collect Resource Statistics Collect Resource by Activity Statistics _ Collect Resource by Shift Statistics Comment E L See Chapter 5 Resource Modeling Constructs beginning on page 181 for an explanation of the remaining options and commands and for more details on defining Resources including pre defined Resource types Processes ASIMPROCESS Process defines Processes hierarchically In this example we will define a Process that indicates how customer orders ar
235. nts of the previous model directory are copied to the new model directory Import Version 2 2 1 Model imports a SIMPROCESS version 2 2 1 or 2 2 2 model Due to changes in the graphical coordinate system from earlier versions of SIMPROCESS to the current version some cleanup will be required See Importing Version 2 2 1 Models for more information XPDL Model imports an XPDL model See http www wfmce org for information on XPDL The XPDL model will be validated against the XPDL 2 2 schema A copy of this schema can be found at http www wfmce org standards docs bpmnxpdl_40a xsd Validation errors may occur ifthe XPDL model is based on XPDL 2 0 or earlier If SIMPROCESS indicates there are validation errors simply continue with the import Most likely the validation errors are due to a difference in XPDL versions instead of malformed XPDL Not all elements of an XPDL model are imported to SIMPROCESS The following table shows the XPDL elements that are imported and their corresponding SIMPROCESS constructs XPDL Element SIMPROCESS Construct WorkflowProcess Process ActivitySet Process Activity Activity Transition Connector DataField Global Entity Attribute FormalParameter Global Entity Attribute Performer Resource Artifact Entity Type SimulationInformation Activity Delay Time TimeEstimation Duration For XPDL 1 0 if x y coordinates for Activity elements are to be imported they m
236. nual 4 Table of Contents CHAPTER 8 Statistical Output REPOrts ccecccrrcccscsccccrscccsscccccccccesscccceeeees 228 Simulation Results cccssssssssssccscssssssssscccsesssssssssssccsssssssees 229 Standard REPO vcccesissccsscsscscsscccsasseasssusecccstusscanens ceudissensessvansceus 243 Custom Statisthes vicciicecsisccsissstiesetsacecccestessenedeeccedsessvececanevaesseccnes 246 Real Time Plots vasvccsvcsescsssececcstssseusensadecsessdecesseveseccasssscssssbccdssess 259 Custom PlOUs wascsissiccsssessccdeiiesscicncacccdesssevcsnteansecescastesnvcaescesessovenas 270 Expression PIOUS ssvesessservnsenesasensodsusdssuussenenadeucnsssasacestbcsenscuesvssces 280 Simulation Results File ccccsssssssssssssccsssssssssssscssecsseseees 281 SIMPROCESS User s Manual 5 Organization of the SIMPROCESS Documentation Set The SIMPROCESS documentation set consists of four manuals gt Getting Started With SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS User s Manual e SIMPROCESS Metadata Manual SIMPROCESS OrgModel Manual All of the manuals can be opened directly from the Help SIMPROCESS Manuals menu Also each manual includes this section which provides links to the chapters in every manual Press the Control key when clicking any link to open the linked file in anew window For Windows systems in order for links between manuals to work properly Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader must be used to view the manuals Getting Started
237. ocess Size Display Process Badge Display Master Copy Badges Activity Width 32 Activity Height 32 Process Width 68 Process Height 44 Default Icon Set Default Time Between Auto Saves Mins 10 Maximum Number of Files on Recent File List 4 Email contact for published models Maximum Number of Edit Log Entries 0 unlimited Display Activity Properties Viewer Preferences selected for application to the active model are applied when OK is clicked Before the selected actions are applied to the active model a dialog confirming that these actions should occur appears i O O O OOOO O Apply selected actions to whole model Time required depends on size of model and actions selected If No is selected the active model is not updated It may take a few minutes to apply updates to a large model Other editing actions are not allowed while the update occurs Note that these updates actually change the properties of the active model The options to display or not display Activity Pad and Connector names on the View menu do not change the model properties just what is currently visible See page 59 There are ten tabs on the Preferences dialog e Processes Activities SIMPROCESS User s Manual 30 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus e Text Block e Text Label Background Text e Pads e Connectors e En
238. odel Bundles e Custom Reports e Scenarios The Appendices are e Importing Version 2 2 1 Models e Activity Summary Table e SIMPROCESS File Structure e Statistical Distributions e Statistical Tools Glossary SIMPROCESS System Attributes and Methods e External Event Files e Simulation Results File e UML Interfaces e Running Models Without GUI e SIMPROCESS and External Java Classes Metadata Manual The Metadata Manual describes how to build and edit SIMPROCESS metamodels assign metamodels to a SIMPROCESS model and enter metadata in a SIMPROCESS model The chapters are e SIMPROCESS Metadata e SIMPROCESS Metamodel Editor e Assigning Metamodels e Entering Metadata e BPEL Metadata OrgModel Manual The OrgModel Manual describes how to build and edit SIMPROCESS Organization and Resource Models OrgModels and assign OrgModels to a SIMPROCESS model The chapters are e SIMPROCESS Organization and Resource Models e SIMPROCESS OrgModel Editor e Assigning OrgModels e Using OrgModels with SIMPROCESS Process Modeling and Analysis with SIMPROCESS The goal of Process Modeling is to create a simplified but useful model of a business enterprise The enterprise can be a small work group or development team a particular division arelated set of departments or even an entire company The model allows an analyst to study the Processes in a business in order to e Determine bottlenecks or wasted effort e Devise revisions to the Proces
239. of 1 5 1 75 and 2 0 Hours respectively those events would not cause new time advance requests to be sent to the TimeServer thus potentially improving performance by reducing the overall number of requests sent to the TimeServer and enabling SIMPROCESS to continue processing events without delay If a shorter time were approved instead SIMPROCESS would process its events up to the newly approved time and submit another rounded time advance request Note that the effectiveness of rounded synchronization will depend in part on the strategies employed by the other players inthe group Ifthe other players are using full synchronization or are using rounded synchronization with a smaller time unit there may little or no benefit Time Server Errors Various errors can cause the premature end of the initialization or run of a simulation that is using the TimeServer e TimeServer is not running e TimeServer stops Invalid Group e Group is already full all players have joined e Group is reinitialized e Duplicate player name e Communication error e Another player terminates with an error condition there is an option to continue in this case Time Server Considerations When another player completes normally before the completion of the SIMPROCESS simulation the simulation will continue until itis finished However ifanother player terminates fora differentreason SIMPROCESS will ask whether to continue or stop the simulation A S
240. of a Resource during the simulation These plots are only useful for consumable Resources Units Idle Trace and Units Idle Histogram These reports show the amount of a Resource s units which are left idle during the simulation Units Busy Trace and Units Busy Histogram These reports show the amount ofa Resource s units which are busy during the simulation Units Reserved Trace and Units Reserved Histogram These reports show the amount of a Resource s units which are in reserved state during the simulation Availability Trace and Availability Histogram These reports show the amount of a Resource s units that are not down due to planned or unplanned downtime The units displayed could be idle busy or reserved Scheduled Availability Trace and Scheduled Availability Histogram These reports show the amount of a Resource s units that are scheduled to be available As with the Availability Trace and Availability Histogram the units displayed could be idle busy or reserved however unplanned downtime is also included as scheduled availability Thus only planned downtime shows unavailability Planned Downtime Trace and Planned Downtime Histogram These reports show the amount of a Resource s units which are not available due to planned downtime during the simulation Unplanned Downtime Trace and Unplanned Downtime Histogram These reports show the amount of a Resource s units which are not available due to unplanned downti
241. olor 56 grid lines 56 snap to grid 56 spacing 56 H Help Menu 72 help getting help topics 72 online help hierarchical models 73 74 hierarchy ascending 112 hierarchy descending 112 Hold pad of Gate activity 153 I Icon dialog field 83 Icon Manager 72 icons activity icons 83 84 adding text to 84 85 entities listing 97 labeling 84 85 showing object name under 83 Importing Icon 203 MS Project File 18 Version 2 2 1 Model 17 XPDL Model 17 Importing graphics 202 interval between entity generations 90 Interval dialog field 90 J Join Activity 173 178 180 jpeg 202 jpg 202 L Layout Menu 40 56 Align 53 Background Color 53 Bring To Front 56 Distribute 54 Distribute Pads 55 Grid Color 56 Grid Lines 56 Grid Spacing 56 Group 55 Send To Back 56 Snap To Grid 56 Swimlanes 47 Ungroup 56 limiting entities in Dispose activity 95 M Maximum Batch Size of Batch activity 151 Maximum Entity Count Dispose activity parameter 95 Maximum Wait Time of Batch activity 151 Merge Activity 166 Minimum Batch Size of Batch activity 151 model adding objects to 81 checking for errors 110 components 73 717 hierarchical structure 73 74 77 removing objects from 81 selecting objects in 81 Verify Model 110 verifying 110 Model Parameters 110 Model toolbar contents 79 using 79 81 moving down a level in hierarchy 112 moving up a level in hierarchy 112 N Name dialog field 83 naming acti
242. on Time Average Cycle Time Maximum Cycle Time Us Product A Select All Activities Select Subordinate Deselect All The chart below from the Purchasing demonstration model displays only times forthe Entity Product A running with the Decentralized Product based alternative active Purchasing Product A Replication 1 1 Jan 12 00 Simulation Time 2 Jan 12 00 1 Jan 00 00 Purchasing Processes Product A Get Resource Select Supplier 2 Negotiate Terms Prepare Purchase Order Place Purchase Order Audit Invoice 2 Jan 00 00 Average Cycle Time Total Time 3 Jan 00 00 3 Jan 12 0 If there are more than 10 Activities and Processes on the chart a scroll bar will display on the right Use the scroll bar to view the items not displayed The Simulation Time axis at the top of the chart will adjust as other items are viewed Below is a chart of the Customer Service demonstration model that includes all Activities and Processes Note the scroll bar on the right SIMPROCESS User s Manual 208 Activity Gantt Chart a a Activity Gantt Chart bE je Customer Service Replication 1 Simulation Time oroo oro orzo orso nao orso 020 a Sales Pr OoOo e Hardware Sales p Software Sales Service Pr o E g Hardware Service 4 O Software Service B Expert HW Advice L Co
243. onally vertical bars representing the numbers All Activities have the option to display Activity Count Activity Count and all other counts can be turned off at each Activity or turned off for all Activities by using the Preferences page 29 The number displayed is based on the Activity type e Generate Activities show the number of Entities generated e Dispose Activities show how many Entities have been disposed e All other Activities and Processes show how many entities are in that Process or Activity Some Activities can also display thenumber of Entities waiting for Resources Wait Count the number of Entities holding for a condition Hold Count and the number of Entities processing Processing Count See Setting Activity Count Options beginning on page 87 for more information Show Entities turns the display of Entities on or off during the animation Showing Entities assists with visualizing the work flow SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 65 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Update Dynamic Labels turns the display of dynamic labels on or off during the animation Animation Speed Changes the Animation Speed during the simulation The fastest value is 100 and the default is 20 A smaller value is better while debugging the model The animation setting can also be changed by using the buttons and slider on the tool bar A depressed button means the item represented by the button is turned on Going from left to righ
244. one of the Connectors should have the Otherwise field set to True Stream is the random number stream to use for the probabilities SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 162 Entity Control Activities Attribute Route Entities to the appropriate Connector based on values of User Defined Attributes or System Attributes See Using Attributes in SIMPROCESS for more information on User Defined and System Attributes Entity Type Route Entities based on type e g send Orders one way and Bills another Set the Entity Type on the Connectors emanating from the Branch Priority Ability to route higher priority items on one path lower on another The priorities are specified on the Connectors Smallest Value Route Entities to the Connector that has the smallest value The sources for the values are specified on the Connectors Largest Value Route Entities to the Connector that has the largest value The sources for the values are specified on the Connectors Branch Connectors Connectors link Activities and Processes together Connector names can assist in labeling a model e g the Entity type that flows SIMPROCESS will automatically label Connectors emanating from Branch Activities See Connectors and Branch Activities on page 164 for details Comment gt Connector Properties Name Conn10 General start End Cancel __ Show Name Hep __ Auto Label Branch Parameters Otherwi
245. oom In Ctri Alt D Zoom Out Ctrl Alt U View 1 1 Ctrl W Refresh Descend takes the model down one level in the model hierarchy Ascend takes the model one level up in the Process hierarchy Go To Top takes the model to the top of the Process hierarchy Show Process Numbering is a toggle that when selected displays an automatic hierarchical number for each Process in the model Numbering is off by default for new models SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 56 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus The number is purely for documentation purposes and has no impact on a simulation Processes on the top layout are numbered 1 2 3 etc Processes contained in the Process numbered 1 are numbered 1 1 1 2 1 3 etc The numbering continues to the lowest level of the model and is based on the traversal order of the processes on each layout The traversal order is the order that Processes were added to a layout default order or a user defined order see Set Traversal Order on page 51 The number can display in two places on the Process icon as a part of the Text Block and as a part of the Text Label that displays when the layout of the Process is viewed see Labeling with Text Blocks on page 84 The number displays as a part of the Text Block if Show Text is selected on the Text Block tab of the Process properties and the number displays as a part of the Text Label if Add Text Label which is located below Show Text is selected
246. op level SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 36 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus lt gt O allCenter TopProcessO alt i Conn28 iy Conn29 i Conn43 iw Conn25 i Conn26 E GetTech B A i Conn1 iy Conn44 ly TypeC Calls ix TypeB Calls is TypeA Calls i Conn15 iw Conn16 iw Conn17 i Got Resource Lo Connector is Errors Find Connector Named Find Connector _ Ignore Case C oaa Collapse All The Connector Browser can be used to search for specific Connectors by name The asterisk can be used as a wildcard for searches The asterisk can go at the beginning of the search string the end of the search string or both Wildcards cannot be used in the middle of a search string Select Ignore Case to perform case insensitive searches Selecting Find Connector finds the first Connector in the model hierarchy that matches the search criteria Subsequent clicks of Find Connector will continue the search for the next match Model Search Model Search is a quick way of searching by name for items within the model The Model Search dialog has three areas Search Items Search Criteria and Search Results Mocs soncs erm Search Items _ Process or Activity Entity Type Resource Resource Downtime Resource Shift Global Attribute Background Text Connector Search Criteria Search Results
247. or the cost period Further suppose that during the period each Activity processed five Entities two of type A and three of type B SIMPROCESS will calculate the costs for this period as follows 1 Calculate the variable costs for each Resource based on the number of Entities Processed and the processing times as described 2 For each of the two Resources calculate the portion of fixed cost represented by idle time Then calculate both the fully absorbed and variable based fixed costs In this case the fully absorbed costs should be twice the variable costs since the Resource was 50 idle during the period 3 Add the variable costs to the fully absorbed costs and the variable based costs creating two period costs for each Resource 4 Divide the period costs for the Resource based on the usage by activities In this case the period costs will be split evenly between the two activities These steps are completed for all Resources in the model that are set to calculate costs Each Activity accumulates its period costs from all of the Resources that it actually made use of during the period Next SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 226 How to Use ABC in SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS will calculate the Entity costs based on these Activity costs After all Resource costs are distributed to the activities the Activity costs are then distributed to each type of Entity processed by the Activity based on the total number of Entities processed Th
248. ors Entities are generated from one or more Generate Activities traverse the model and finally proceed to a Dispose Activity where they are disposed Entities pass through other Activities such as Delays and Branches A model is built by supplying numeric and symbolic attributes to the various Activities and the Entities that are processed at these Activities The Resources needed to process the Entities are also defined The end result is a dynamic model of the business Process Bottlenecks can be seen as they occur when simulations are run on this model Reports and statistics may be generated describing the flow of people materials and information and quantifying how Resources are used The model may continue to be modified in order to experiment with different scenarios A simple model can be built with just three Activity objects Generate Delay and Dispose SIMPROCESS User s Manual 77 SIMPROCESS Components 3 0 Abi 044 I Conn Conn Generatel Delay3 Dispose All models require a Generate Activity to generate Entities and a Dispose Activity to end the processing of Entities Delay Activities are used to represent actions There are some things that are common to most Activities such as the Activity name and Resources required by the Activity This chapter begins with a discussion of the input fields and command buttons used to define these items The remainder of the chapter describes the core SIMPROCESS Activities
249. ot saved with the model Show All makes all Pad names visible throughout the model SIMPROCESS User s Manual 59 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Hide All makes all Pad names invisible throughout the model Local shows or hides Pad names based on their individual properties set with the properties dialog Show Name checkbox This is the default setting when a model is opened Zoom In magnifies a section of the layout to see more detail Select Zoom In and click and drag the mouse to define the area on the layout to zoom Zoom Out is the reverse of Zoom In View 1 1 returns the layout window to its original size Refresh redraws the current screen Create Menu Activities X Processes T BackgroundText LJ BackgroundGraphic Activities provides an alternative way of creating Activities rather than graphically dragging and dropping them from the Layout Toolbar Activities added to a Library can be added to this menu and or added to the Library Toolbar Processes provides an alternative way of creating Processes Processes added to a Library will be added to this menu BackgroundText provides an alternative way of creating static or dynamic labels BackgroundGraphic provides an alternative way of changing the background SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 60 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Define Menu Entities Ctri E H Resources Ctri R E Resource Downtimes B Resource Shifts D
250. override the default Entity type and quantity and set the interval and time unit with this method The Interval field defines the time between Entity generation events Enter a constant value or a statistical distribution Entities are generated at the end of each interval Simulation First Entity Begins Generated Midnight 1 00 2 00 3 00 4 00 Entity Generation at Interval of 1 Hour For example assume Customer Orders to arrive at an exponential rate with an average of 20 arrivals per hour Click on the Interval pull down arrow and find the definition for Exponential Distributions It reads Exp 10 0 Select the distribution Then click on the details button to the right of the pull down arrow This displays a dialog for defining the parameters of the distribution F R Distribution Details Mean 10 0 Cancel Hel Stream 1 p View gt SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 90 Generate Activity Set the Mean value to indicate an average Entity generation rate of 20 per hour Assume that Quantity is 1 meaning that only one Entity is produced at each Entity generation event e Generate an Entity every 3 minutes to get 20 Entities in an hour 60 minutes The View button displays a graphical representation of the distribution z z Distribution Plotter File Edit Special E Ie et ES Plot for Exp 10 0 1 BRAE aay i PDF Exp 10 0 1 ae CDF Exp 10 0 1 06
251. p Icon BlackDot Z g C Document Icon Set Default X Priority 1 Preempt Lower Priority Entities Collect Entity Statistics Comment x a 3 Specify the Entity Type Properties e Entity Name identifies the type of Entity Name can be any unique entity name Double click on the default name supplied by SIMPROCESS and enter Customer Order as the Entity Name e Entity Icon is the icon which will represent this Entity during a simulation run The icon appears during simulation if the Animation option is on Click on the downward pointing arrowhead next to the Entity Icon field to get a list of different icons to choose from the currently selected Icon Set e Priority values range from 1 to 100 When Entities contend for the same Resource the Entity with the highest priority gets precedence SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 96 Defining an Entity Preempt Lower Priority Entities sets whether instances of this type will preempt lower priority Entities If true when an instance of this type reaches an Activity that uses Resources and there are no Resources available and the Entity currently using the Resources is alower priority Entity this higher priority arriving entity instance will cause the lower priority Entity to release the Resources so this Entity can obtain the Resources and Process Entity Attributes Entity Type Attributes Entity Expressions and Entity Type Expressions are used in assoc
252. pes of SIMPROCESS Activities As an example the Activity element above would result in a Split Activity in SIMPROCESS This is because there is a Split element within a TransitionRestriction element that has a Type of AND and there is more than one TransitionRef element Note that if the XPDL model being imported was previously exported from SIMPROCESS 4 3 or higher the model may contain some SIMPROCESS unique information that will help appearance Ifthe XPDL model was previously exported from SIMPROCESS 5 1 or higher the model will contain SIMPROCESS unique simulation information During import if SIMPROCESS detects unique information from other applications this information will be transferred to the new SIMPROCESS model Thus if the SIMPROCESS model is later exported to XPDL that application unique information will be exported as well T MS Project File imports a Microsoft Project file mpp The resulting model should be considered a starting point for modeling the project detailed in Microsoft Project SIMPROCESS User s Manual 18 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Export Graphics Image File creates a JPEG image of the current layout Activities contains two options e Activity List outputs the Process and Activity hierarchy to an ASCII file e Activity By Type displays a dialog that allows Activities to be output to a comma separated file csv or spreadsheet file x 1s Comma Separated Value
253. plots The properties for these plots include the name of the plot the range and optionally subranges of the plot and whether to hide the plot at simulation start For Meter plots the color of the meter the needle and the value can be specified For Thermometer plots the color of the mercury and the color of the value can be set Below are the properties of an Attribute Thermometer plot hl attribute Meter Properties ol Graph Name Meter Color LightGrey RA Cancel Needle Color H Black z l Help Value Color Black NA Range Lower Bound 0 0 Upper Bound 100 0 V Use Subranges Normal Legend Label Normal Color Wi Green X Lower Bound 0 0 Upper Bound 50 0 Warning Legend Label Warming Color Yellow X I Lower Bound 50 0 Upper Bound 85 0 Critical Legend Label Critical Color i Red z Lower Bound 85 0 Upper Bound 100 0 v Hide Plot at Simulation Start f Comment d The Range must be set based on the range of values the Attribute will take on during the simulation If Use Subranges is selected the Normal Warning and Critical subranges will be active The Legend Label field displays in the corresponding area of the Meter Thermometer plots do not have a Legend Label SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 262 Real Time Plots Displaying Real Time Plots Plots that are hidden are displayed during or after a simulation by choosing Display Real Time Plots on the R
254. ppear as icons in the model layout Entities aren t visible until asimulationisrun During the simulation ifanimation is turned on they emerge as icons flowing through the model SIMPROCESS User s Manual 74 SIMPROCESS Components Resources Resources are the agents that add value to Entities or perform work at Activities Examples include e A customer calls in an order which requires a clerk to handle it Order entry is the Activity the order is an Entity and the clerk is a Resource e A truck is required to deliver merchandise to the customer the truck is a Resource The way to minimize cycle time and Activity costs is by experimenting with different levels of Resources and different costs The availability ofa Resource affects the amount of time it takes an Entity to flow through the Process Lack of Resources can be a cause of bottlenecks in a business Process A customer order might arrive while two clerks are busy handling other tasks Order fulfillment is delayed until a clerk becomes available The amount of time the customer order spends waiting for an available clerk is shown in the Entity Cycle Time by State output report as Wait for Resource Another way to describe this situation is that the order waited in a queue for the available Resource Knowing how Resources are used is a key factor in understanding and improving upon the way a business operates Connectors Connectors link Activities and Processes togethe
255. py of a Master Process cannot be pasted into itself Items in Processes copied from a Master Process will display in the Activity Browser Connector Browser Model Search Expression Search Metadata Search and other display options However those items will not be available for Edit or GoTo The only exception is for the Process that is the actual copy of the Master Process GoTo is available unless in an inactive alternative Master Processes and copies of Master Processes can be identified visually by selecting Display Master Copy Badges in the SIMPROCESS Preferences page 31 Master Processes will display an M at the lower left hand corner of the Process icon and copies of Master Processes will display a C in the same location Process Process11 SIMPROCESS Users Manual 106 Simulation Setup Simulation Setup Two steps are needed before running a simulation e Setthe runtime parameters forthe simulation This could include start and end dates or number of times to repeat the simulation e Set animation parameters Run Settings Select Simulate from the SIMPROCESS menu and then click on Run Settings to set run time options End 01 01 2015 00 00 00 _ Warmup Every Replication Reset Random Number Streams v Reset System W Verify Model on Run RMI Host localhost 000 oooi oo0 Number of Replications Warmup Length Warmup Time Unit Hours Simulatio
256. r and are the paths used by Entities to flow through the model Connectors can have delay times a g Connector Properties ees General Start End l Cancel Show Name Help Display Line Width 100 SA Line Style Solid z Duration Document Travel Time Distance Divided By Rate Metadata Value None Distance None Rate None v Units Hours z Units Hours v Collect Connector Statistics __ Collect Connector by Entity Statistics Comment i c _ SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 75 SIMPROCESS Components Connector Names A default Connector name such as Conn44 is assigned To change the Connector Name edit the Name field in the Connector properties Displaying Connector Names The Edit Preferences option on the Edit menu determines if names of new Connectors are displayed in the model However individual Connector dialogs have Show Name check boxes that will override the model default The Name field is displayed across the middle of the Connector if Show Name is selected Display Properties The Line Width and Line Style properties control the appearance of the Connector Defaults for Line Width and Line Style can be set in the Preferences See Preferences on page 29 Duration A Connector defaults to no Duration Duration can be specified by setting a Travel Time or Distance Divided By Rate If using Distance Divided By Rate a value must be set for Distance and Rate and
257. r information required to complete the tasks are also included in the business model SIMPROCESS generates valuable information about the Activities Entities and Resources in the model This data is used to validate the Process model The generated statistics and reports are used to determine where the Process could be improved SIMPROCESS allows you to evaluate alternatives and different management policies SIMPROCESS helps a team decide which changes to a business Process will provide the most benefits SIMPROCESS User s Manual 12 SIMPROCESS Editions SIMPROCESS Editions SIMPROCESS has four editions e Professional Edition contains all the features and capabilities of SIMPROCESS There are no limits on model size for models built with SIMPROCESS Professional Edition e University Edition also contains all the features and capabilities of SIMPROCESS However model sizes are limited to no more than 50 Processes and Activities Demonstration Edition models are limited to no more than 25 processes and activities 5 entity types and 5 resource types Also none of the advanced features are accessible e Runtime Edition contains all the features and capabilities of SIMPROCESS except the ability to save There are no limits on model size but models built or modified in this edition cannot be saved SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 13 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus SIMPROCESS Ter
258. r time synchronization this option should probably not be used Also optionally global Entity Attribute values see Creating a User Defined Attribute Entity creation time and Entity priority can be included If user defined Attribute values are included the receiving model must have the same global Entity Attributes defined The Attribute name in the SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 169 Entity Control Activities receiving model must match the Attribute name in the sending model the Attribute mode Real Integer Boolean String or Object inthe receiving model must match the Attribute mode in the sending model and the Attribute Array Size in the receiving model must match the Attribute Array Size in the sending model As with Remote Generation Time Copy Creation Time should only be used when there is time synchronization Remote Receive Transfer When Remote Receive is selected the Connection button displays a selection box thatcontains the Entity Types defined in the receiving model Remote Receive Transfer Properties Entity to Release Cancel Hep Select the Entity Type to use when an Entity instance is released Any transferred Attribute information isaddedto the released Entity instance The Detail button three dots displays the selected Entity Type s properties which can then be changed Remote Transfer Operation Models that contain Transfer Activities designated Receiv
259. ransfer Activity designated as Send and Remote with the following properties F z nl Remote Send Transfer Properties IP Address localhost Port 1024 65535 26200 cancer Receiving Model Name Offsite Production Help Receiving Transfer Name Receive Production Message Send Options Remote Generation Time Value None v ea Units Hours Z Copy Global Entity Instance Attributes Quantity A Add Supplier ji I gt Remove aama PP Remove All a Copy Creation Time iv Copy Entity Priority x a Note that localhost is used for IP Address since both models are on the same machine The Port 26200 is the port specified in the Run Settings of the model Offsite Production The name of the Transfer Activity that will receive the transferred information is Receive Production Message No Remote Generation Time is passed The Entity instance Attributes Quantity and Routing are included along with the sending Entity s priority In the receiving model Offsite Production the Connection properties for the Transfer Activity Receive Production Message designated as Receive and Remote show that instances of the Entity Type Production Message will be released i Remote Receive Transfer Properties Entity to Release z E Geant hee Clone Activity The Clone Activity generates duplicate Entities Note that this activity is only available from the Create menu This is
260. ransformed or disposed in the model The observation points on the trace are connected only to improve their visibility and are not meant to suggest continuity Entities in System Trace and Entities in System Histogram These charts show the individual Entity count measurements that is the number of Entities that exist in the model for each Entity type Charts are generated for each Entity type that is selected The charts are updated as each Entity of the given type is created and disposed in the model SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 247 Custom Statistics S SIMPROCESS Real Time Graph ea File Edit Special BRAE Observations Mean Sales Calls Entities In System Trace Hil r M t i i wit 0 5 10 15 20 25 Simulation Time in Hours File Edit Special BRAE Sales Calls Entities In System Histogram Wait For Resource Trace and Wait For Resource Histogram These charts show the current number of Entities that are in the waiting for Resource state SIMPROCESS User s Manual 248 Custom Statistics Wait For Resource Cycle Times Trace and Wait For Resource Cycle Times Histogram These charts show the time spent waiting for Resources Hold For Condition Trace and Hold For Condition Histogram These charts show the current number of Entities that are in the holding for condition state that may be associated with Activities such as Assemble Gate
261. rces will be consumed check box in order to decrement consumable Resources For example a Get Resource activity obtains 50 gallons of Diesel Fuel in anticipation of shipping merchandise to a customer Before reaching the shipping activity the Entity enters a Branch activity in which the merchandise order is canceled In this situation one branch of the path leads to a Free Resource activity where the consumable Resource is not consumed since it was not used The other path continues on to the shipping activity and then to a Free Resource activity in which the fuel Resource is consumed Getting and freeing Resources can also be accomplished using expressions See Getting and Freeing Resources Using Expressions SIMPROCESS Users Manual 192 Replenishing Consumable Resources Replenishing Consumable Resources The Replenish Resource activity is used to replenish a consumable Resource during a simulation Diesel fuel is a consumable resource used when shipping merchandise Once an order is made the truck and a quantity of fuel will be allocated as Resources to perform the shipping The fuel quantity is deducted from the inventory and gets replenished by a daily shipment received each morning r x General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Block Documentation Counts _ OK Requirements EE Resource 29 Model Attribute Cancel Diesel Fuel 200 0 Add E J Resources
262. reating a customer profile Use different Entities for new customers and repeat customers and branch on Entity Type Alternatively use a single Customer Order Entity and assume that a certain percentage of customers are new and a certain percentage are repeats Select Branch Type Probability and then set the probability of each event on the Connectors leading from the Branch output Pad SIMPROCESS User s Manual 161 Entity Control Activities New Customer Ea Create Customer Profile Access Customer Profile pees Branch Properties s General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Biock Documentation Counts Name Branch1 Icon 2 Branch Icon Set Default Select Branch Type Probability Stream 1 Entity Type Priority smallest Value Largest Value Duration Value None Units Hours Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics P Attribute Entity AcceptTime v v Show Name Eg Use Text Block Comment L Ls Cancel Help imaan Entit New Resource Global Attributes Entity Entity Type Resource Model Dialog Field Definitions and Buttons Select Branch Type Probability Entities routed based on a probability specified on each Connector leading from the Branch All probabilities must sum to 1 0 or
263. resources are exported to WorkPoint activity descriptions If specified the resources are included in the activity description in the format Resource resource resource2 resourceN SIMPROCESS does not identify to WorkPoint upstream or looping transitions Therefore once the model is imported into WorkPoint the user must locate all upstream transitions and identify them as such by opening the transition properties and setting the appropriate check box Insome cases the WorkPoint import generates dummy scripts This means after the archive file is imported into WorkPoint the user must edit each of the scripts and set them appropriately Dot Workflow creates a workflow file using the Dot language that presents a flat non hierarchical view of the model The file is created in the model s directory and the file name consists of the model name followedby Dot txt The file can be opened ina graph visualizer suchas ZRG Viewer http zvtm sourceforge net zgrviewer html Below is a view from ZRGViewer of the CallCenter demo model SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 24 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Type A Get Tech TypeA Calls F Type C Get Tech Check TYPE TT ypeB cal Type B Get Tech Errors Answer Questions Release Agent Completed Calls Generate Phone Calls Balked Calls Publish Model to HTML outputs the model to HTML format to be made accessible via a standard web bro
264. rowse button and locate the application s executable file SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 231 Simulation Results Results Charts The Charts button is enabled when one or more replications have been selected and one or more component items have been selected Multiple replications and multiple component items can be selected by pressing the Control or Shift key during selection The exception to this is the Cost tab The Charts button will be enabled only when one cost category is selected The Charts button displays a dialog with options for graphically displaying the selected results The options on the dialog depend on type of component selected Below is the dialog for Entity results m Dl Create Charts Select Statistics Select Charts Group By Display Total Count Bar Chart Replication Total Generated Stacked Bar Chart Statistic Remaining In System Pie Chart Value Type Total Proc __ Pareto Chart Average Count By State Std Dev Chart Std Dev Total In System Min Max Chart Minimum Proces Chart Options Maximum Wait For Resources 2 Dimensional i Hold For Conditions PETE TIE Display Options Traveling Display Values Display All Charts Display Value Table Select Charts to Display Cycle Time By State Display Chart Options Total In Sys Color LightGrey x Hold For Conditions Traveling E O O l There are five sections Select Statistics Select Charts C
265. rt shows the Process Purchasing Processes and every child Activity Note that the total cycle time for the process is less than the ending time for the last Activity Audit Invoice This is because the overall average cycle time for the Process is less than the sum of the average cycle times for each Activity in the Process This is due to the fact that there when the simulation ended more Entities had entered the Process than exited the Process and the overall cycle time for the Process is not calculated until an Entity exits a Process Also note that the processing time for some of the Activities extends past the overall cycle time for the Activity Again this is due to the fact that there are different number of Entities for calculating the average Wait for Resource time and the average Processing time However this chart does clearly show that the vast majority of the total time for Select Supplier and Negotiate Terms is time spent waiting for Resources These types of inconsistencies can be avoided by either only displaying Processes or Activities and by only displaying the total cycle time See below the same chart as above but only with Activities and only displaying total cycle time SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 211 Activity Gantt Chart fi D Purchasing Replication 1 Simulation Time 1 Jan 3 Jan 5 Jan 7 Jan 9 Jan 11 Jan 13 Jan 15 Jan 17 Jan 19 Jan Select Supplier Negotiate Terms Prepare Purchase Ord
266. rter2 etc Click the OK button to alter the cost period name or the Cancel button to discard any changes Setting Up Resource Costs Costs canbe specified foreach Resource in the model All Resources do not have to have costs specified SIMPROCESS will generate cost reports only for those Resources that have costs assigned Both fixed and variable costs can be assigned to non consumable Resources and two of the three variable costs can be assigned to consumable Resources These costs are specified as part of defining each Resource Select the Define Resource option from the menu bar Then pick a previously defined Resource from the list for editing or add a new one using the Edit or Add buttons This will display the Resource Properties dialog as shown below SIMPROCESS User s Manual 223 How to Use ABC in SIMPROCESS General Cost Downtime Attributes Expressions Name Service Rep Units 3 Fractional Usage _ Consumable _ Collect Resource Statistics _ Collect Resource by Activity Statistics _ Collect Resource by Shift Statistics Click the Cost tab to display the Resource Costs for this Resource Since the Resource is nonconsumable all Variable Costs and the Fixed Cost are included a OO General Cost Downtime Attributes Expressions Variable Costs Usage Cost per Entity 10 0
267. s First In First Out A SSS Global Attributes Attribute Entity Component Entities SS Entity Type dad S SS Resource Remove Model Batch Components Hold For Trigger Assembled Entity ba Duration Value None v ii Units Hours Z E Collect Activity Statistics L Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment E Dialog Field Definitions Rank Method sets the rank method of the queue for the Entities to be assembled There is a separate queue for each component Entity type The rank method is the same for all queues The default is First In First Out The rank methods are e First In First Out e First In Last Out e Earliest Created First e Latest Created First e Highest Priority Value First e Lowest Priority Value First e Highest Attribute Value First e Lowest Attribute Value First Selecting Highest Attribute Value First or Lowest Attribute Value First will cause the Attribute field to be active Select the desired attribute from the list If the selected attribute is a local Entity instance or Entity typeattribute arun time error willoccurifan Entity enters that does not have theselected attribute defined SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 149 Entity Related Activities Component Entities is a list of component Entities to be converted to assembled Entities Entities on the list are queued until the specified quantity of each Entity type has entered the Assemble Activity
268. s the model should be run for multiple replications This averages theresults and gives a more accurate picture of mostlikely outcome of the scenario being modeled Reports are gathered for each replication and the Sum and Average of all runs Reset Random Number Streams This option resets the Random Number Stream before starting each new replication Typically this should not be selected In general terms the reason for running the model for multiple replications is to test how randomness affects the system Turning this option on negates that test RMI Host This indicates the host on which SPServer will be located ifthe model has an External schedule defined Defaults to localhost See Adding an External Schedule RMI Port This indicates the TCP port to use on the RMI Host Defaults to 1099 See Adding an External Schedule Cost Periods This tab sets the frequency over which the ABC Reports will be collected The name of the currency that the ABC Reports will use can also be set See Setting Up Cost Periods on page 222 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 138 Run Settings Debug Traces r inion O OOOO O Expression Options Time Server Remote Transfer I Random Numbers Run Settings Cost Periods Debug Traces Lox E Create Entity Debug Traces Help x This tab turns on off debug tracing and defines debug traces If chec
269. s data validation so it can be used to verify the data before a distribution fit i x Error Unable to perform requested operation Evi Model StartingRow can only be evaluated at the beginning of a simulation 13 14 The Fit Now button reads the data sources and calls ModelFit to perform the distribution fitting Ifa good fit is obtained the Fitted Distribution field displays the results Note that Fit Now will not work if either the Spreadsheet or Database data sources are parameterized see above Fit Now includes data and distribution validation so it can be used to verify the data and distribution fit before a simulation run The example error below shows that ModelFit created a Uniform distribution with a negative lower bound A negative lower bound is not allowed See Statistical Distributions for information on distribution requirements Also an error will occur if the Fit Now button is clicked and the Auto Fit license has not been activated oot O eo Error Uniform distribution minimum parameter must be greater than or equal to zero o S S The Fitted Distribution field contains the results of an Auto Fit The contents of the field can be selected and copied but any changes to the field will not be saved The details button to the right of the Fitted Distribution field can be used to view the individual parameters and view a plot of the distribution Any changes made to the
270. s encompassing other Processes and Activities SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 73 SIMPROCESS Components SIMPROCESS Components Processes A set of Processes can represent the operation of a business at a very high level This level represents only an outline of the business Process Activities represent the details of business operations For example in a mail order fulfillment operation when a customer order is received processing steps might include 1 Identifying the customer 2 Creating or accessing a customer profile 3 Verifying the customer profile against information contained in the customer s order Each of these steps can be modeled as an Activity Collectively they comprise a single Process that might be called Access Create Customer Profile The Process construct allows a business Process to be broken down into successively more detailed layers A Process can be and usually is composed of other Processes and Activities Activities cannot be decomposed Activities SIMPROCESS contains a suite of Activities each reflecting a different type of action Actions can be physical or logical Entities Entities are objects that circulate through the model They represent things e g parts deliveries people or information orders service requests etc that flow from Activity to Activity The customer order is an Entity in the order fulfillment process Unlike Processes and Activities which a
271. s in each Connector SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 258 Real Time Plots Real Time Plots Real Time Plots display the change in value of statistics as the simulation runs for Entities Resources Activities Processes Connectors Time Stamps and Attributes Defining Plots Entities Resources Activities and Connectors Plots for Entities Resources Activities Processes and Connectors are defined on the Report menu Resource Connector Time Stamp Entity R Serice Calls Activity Wait For Resource Cycle Times Trace Cycle Times Trace it Hold For Condition Cycle Times Trace Process Cycle Times Trace Travel Times Trace Expand All Entities In System Trace Collapse All Wait For Resource Trace Hold For Condition Trace Select All Entities In Process Trace Entities Traveling Trace DeselectAll Cycle Times Histogram Wait For Resource Cycle Times Histogram Set Plot Properties Hold For Condition Cycle Times Histogram Process Cycle Times Histogram Travel Times Histogram Control click to select or Entities In System Histogram deselect multiple reports Wait For Resource Histogram Hold For Condition Histogram Entities In Process Histogram Entities Traveling Histogram Delete Properties Uses Resources tt Has Expressions s lto Connector Selecting Real Time Plots will display a dialog with five tabs on the l
272. s more than one Otherwise connector has more than two outgoing connectors when branching on a Boolean attribute SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 66 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus has more outgoing connectors than Entities defined when branching on Entity Type has two outgoing connectors branching on the same Entity Type has one or more outgoing connectors with no Value set when branching on Smallest Value or Largest Value has branch probabilities that do not sum to 1 0 when branching on Probability e A Gate Activity has Release Threshold selected with Release Quantity of 0 has an invalid Batched Entity only checked if Batch Entities is selected e A Join Activity has an undefined Family Name e An Assemble Activity has no Component Entities has an invalid Assembled Entity e A Synchronize Activity has no Input and Output Pads e A Batch Activity has an invalid Batched Entity A Transform Activity has an invalid Output Entity e A Generate Activity has an invalid Default Entity does not have one and only one exiting Connector with Generated Entity specified A Split Connector has an invalid Output Entity If Verify Model on Run is selected in the Run Settings verification is done automatically when a simulation starts A notification of any problems found will be displayed along with an option to stop the simulation Cancel Simulation Selecting an item in the list activates the Go To bu
273. s to correct performance problems e Select Process designs that give the best results e Provide cost justification e Establish performance targets for the new Process implementation Many types of tools and techniques are available for Process Modeling Frequently a simple diagram or flowchart can expose the obvious redundancies unnecessary work and inefficiencies in a given Process Tools which provide simple diagramming ofa Process are called static modeling tools However to expose less obvious bottlenecks and costs intrinsic to the Process requires information about the resources employed in the Process measurements of the Processing capacity of the resources and some measure of the expected workflow through the Process Many Process modeling tools today do not allow a quantified analysis of the Process under study Some of those do not take into account the SIMPROCESS User s Manual e Time varying nature of many Processes e Non linear interactions among elements of a Process e Random behavior of most real Processes e Unexpected events in the business environment The bottom line is that most Processes are not well characterized by deterministic mathematical models A dynamic business Process modeling tool which can simulate the behavior of the Process as it responds to the events occurring in the business environment is required to analyze time varying business processes Why Dynamic Modeling A computerized dyna
274. s to release a specific Entity The Entity to release is based on the Entity Sequence Number which is a unique integer number that is given to every Entity instance that is created It can be referenced by the Entity System Attribute SequenceNum See System Attributes in Appendix F of the SIMPROCESS User s Manual The sequence number of the Entity to be released is specified in the distribution list Typically the sequence number will be stored in an Entity Instance Attribute of the Entity that enters the trigger pad Thus the distribution would be something like Ev1 Entity SomeAttribute where SomeAttribute isan Entity Instance Attribute of type INTEGER See User Defined Attributes in Chapter 2 of Part B of the SIMPROCESS User s Manual for more information SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 155 Entity Related Activities on using Attributes The sequence number must be greater than or equal to 1 There is also the Remember Trigger option Normally the Gate Activity does not remember that an Entity has entered the trigger pad For example assume Release All is specified for Trigger Release Ifan Entity enters the trigger pad and no Entities are holding in the Gate that trigger simply does nothing When the next Entity arrives to be held at the Gate it will remain in the Gate even though an Entity previously entered the trigger pad and no Entities were released However given that Sequence Number seeks to release a specifi
275. sccsccssescsssescsssescesees 158 CHAPTER 5 Resource Modeling Constructs sssccccsssecsssscscsssscscecescscsscooes 181 Resources and Simulation sccsscsssscssssssssssssesssesssessssees 182 Defining Resources 6 6 sscssscss cocenssoncsencessueasetacstersncccenscesadaceuessess 183 Adding Resource Requirements to ACtivities sscessees 186 Explicitly Getting and Freeing Resources sesssessseees 189 Replenishing Consumable Resourrces cssccccsssssssseseesees 193 Preempting Lower Priority Entities scssscssssessssssseees 195 CHAPTER 6 Graphical Modeling Construct sccsessccssessssssssssccssscscccessees 196 BACK Oro VOX tissscssessisecessetsasscnnsbecsesspehdsceussecstasievassesescesvecsees 197 Background GraphiCcs sssesssesssecssocssoossooesssesssecssoossoosssosssese 201 Importing Graphics Image Files csscssscssssssssesssesseeees 202 Activity Gantt Chart ssesssesssesssecesocssoosssesssesesoossoosssosssossssee 206 Post Simulation Animation eessessoesoessessoesoossessoesoossessoesoossessose 215 CHAPTER 7 Activity Based Costing siscssscsvestscesaisocsenssscevensesiscvsnssecesessossedsssesse 219 ABC and SIMPROCESS e sesossesesesosossesesosossosossesesossesososseses 220 Benefits of ABC with SIMPROCESS eesssesssesssesssoossoosssssssese 221 How to Use ABC in SIMPROCESS csssssssssssceessssseeseees 222 SIMPROCESS User s Ma
276. se If Entity Flag is Document 5j 2 Metadata AND Display Line Width 100 Line Style Solid Duration Travel Time Distance Divided By Rate _ Distance None X Value None Rate None X Units Hours Units _ Collect Connector Statistics _ Collect Connector by Entity Statistics The Branch Connector Properties dialog contains the Name of the Connector Comment the Line Width and Line Style Branching Parameters Duration Collect Connector Statistics and Collect Connector by SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 163 Entity Control Activities Entity Statistics To display the Connector Properties either double click on the Connector right click on the Connector and choose Properties click to select the Connector and click the Properties button on the tool bar or click to select the Connector and choose Properties on the Edit pull down menu Connector Names A default Connector name e g Conn44 is assigned To change the Connector Name edit the Name field in the Connector properties The AutoLabel check box is discussed below Displaying Connector Names The Edit Preferences option on the Edit pull down menu determines if Connector names are displayed in the model However individual Connector dialogs have Show Name check boxes that will override the model default The Name field is displayed across the middle of the Connector if Show Name is selected The Auto
277. se a graphics file Enter a name in the Background Name field This is the name that will display in the listofavailable backgrounds and must be unique Select OK to import the graphics file for use in SIMPROCESS Other features available from the Manage Background Images dialog can be accessed by selecting Manage Images which opens the Export or Delete Background Image dialog SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 202 Importing Graphics Image Files r Export Delete Background Image se Asia e a Asia Color Close _ Austrailia British Isles Export Background Image Delete Background Image E 5 This dialog allows exporting any of the available backgrounds to external graphics files including those provided with SIMPROCESS In addition it will allow deletion of any imported background images Note that background graphics imported for the currently active model will have a pair of asterisks before the name Activity Process and Entity Images Use the Icon Manager Tools Icon Manager to import a graphics file for use as a Process Activity or Entity The Icon Manager is used to import export and manage image files A single image file can be imported for use as an icon or multiple files such as a directory of image files can be imported Select For Current Model to have the import apply only to the currently active SIMPROCESS model For Current Model will be disabled ifno mod
278. sed throughout the model See Input Sources on page 131 Functions is used for managing Functions Expressions that return a value Functions defined here SIMPROCESS Users Manual 62 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus can be used throughout the model merase close _ Mail Time ae i Work Time Ada edit copr Remove il g d Global Attributes is used for globally defining attributes for Entity instances Entity Types Resources Activities and the Model See Introduction to Attributes and Expressions for more information on Attributes Model Expressions defines customized Processing for the model at various points during a simulation This topic is covered in detail in Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions Time Stamps manages Time Stamps Time Stamps can be used as event logs see Event Logs a Time Stamp Requests Begin Review To Approval Copy Remove x Metadata contains three sub menu items Launch Metamodel Editor Assign Metamodels and Model Metadata Launch Metamodel Editor opens the SIMPROCESS Metamodel Editor Assign Metamodels assigns a SIMPROCESS Metamodel to the active SIMPROCESS model Model Metadata is used to enter metadata at the model level See the SIMPROCESS Metadata Manual SIMPROCESS Metadata for information on these topics OrgModel contains two sub m
279. simulation SIMPROCESS creates events internally each bearing a time stamp indicating the SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 143 Run Settings simulation time when they will be processed Events are placed into a queue to be processed in the order of their simulation times A large and complex model will handle a great many such events as it simulates When a TimeServer is used to manage simulation time externally an additional step is introduced into this process Before any event can be processed SIMPROCESS must have gained approval from the TimeServerto advance to or beyond that event s time Therefore SIMPROCESS must recognize when it has events scheduled to occur later than the most recently approved time and send a request for time advancement to the TimeServer When Synchronize to Nearest is not selected this event handling occurs naturally as dictated by the simulation times of each event and the responses from the TimeServer This is referred to as full synchronization Events may occur with very small amounts of time between them Large and complex models can send a significant number of time advancement requests to the TimeServer Depending on the number of players participating in the simulation group and the complexity of their respective simulations this can result in a great deal of time spent simply waiting for time advancement approval and can therefore cause overall simulation performance to suffer Selecting Synchroni
280. ssary conversions automatically For example annual salaries can be specified and the simulation run with weekly cost periods SIMPROCESS will convert the annual salary costs to weekly costs when generating the cost data After a simulation is completed reports of the costs are available The total cost and the cost by period can be seen by choosing Display Standard Report from the Reports menu These costs are divided into three categories Resource by Activity Resource by Entity and Activity by Entity If there are Resources from OrgModels that have costs assigned there are two additional categories Org Node by Resource and Org Node Cumulative Costs See the SIMPROCESS OrgModel Manual for more information on OrgModels OrgNodes and Resources SIMPROCESS Organization and Resource Models Cost Calculations When a simulation is run SIMPROCESS pauses at the end of each cost period to calculate the period costs SIMPROCESS tracks all the activities that used the Resource and all of the types of Entities processed For each Resource that has costs specified and that is set to calculate costs SIMPROCESS will distribute the Resource s fixed and variable costs for the period to all of the activities that made use of the Resource during the period This distribution is based on the amount of the available capacity used by the Activity during the period For example suppose that a Resource is used evenly by two activities and was busy 50 of the time f
281. sssscsssssceesees 81 Generate Activity scgeicssscdiniceunstonavacsenicanedendencesesucesesumioeeaboatcaseceen 89 D lay Activityessssscsssss s onusdacticieesvsedasecsuactonsnscacseduouersesbinceseetoens 92 Dispos ACtiVvitY isicenstek soniedsicstsdecapeeaiussvesentenadbeteiastacstantucdeucaperued 95 Defining an Entity sovsssissssuisswessoasswsncessts conssisded vesnaatosse vesessenssuecneeas 96 Defining Resources and Processes scccssccsssscsccseseesees 100 Simulation SOCUUD vessccssvsnsssssaiiopeovescctussentonessesnstoosedbetedsesacshevasaente 107 Running a Simulation seeesoesssesssesssocssoossosssssesssecssoossoosssssssose 110 Simulation Results seossooesooesoossssesssesssoossoossoossssesssesssosssssssse 113 CHAPTER 3 Statistical Modeling Constructs ssssssssssssssesssosoessssosescesssooossesssoosee 114 Random Number Generation and Standard Distributions 116 User Defined Distributions ccscccccsssccccsscsscssssccssesceeees 118 Input SOUE COS 3055 lt asesesss cassecessctuaesoceasecostdvenssvetisecensestevcccouvseceseteds 131 R n SOLIDS ssssvenetonpsoanepecubacoonssssewietuvncs sonssstup sconce causvsncssosnsuaebees 136 SIMPROCESS User s Manual Table of Contents CHAPTER 4 Activity Modeling COnstructs ccccccccrccccssssccssccccsssssscscecesseess 146 Entity Related Acti vities s ccssecssstsesssconssscnssssensccsescsssoasssconsaes 148 Entity Control Activities scccssccscssccs
282. system performance by looking only at average rates Unfortunately the real world almost never matches the performance predicted by mean value analysis because statistical fluctuations almost always need to be taken into account Expertise in statistics or modeling is not needed to use SIMPROCESS though just having some idea of how things vary is enough If data shows it usually only takes 5 minutes for a clerk to process some paperwork but it can take as long as 15 that is the beginning of a statistical model of that clerk Exact answers are not necessary just general behavior Introducing a small amount of randomness through simulation can be all that is needed to transform a simplistic mean value analysis into a realistic model SIMPROCESS provides a visual flow through the system in addition to being able to model SIMPROCESS User s Manual 114 processes statistical nature It is very difficult to know how people machinery deliveries and resources are going to interact in a proposed system SIMPROCESS shows how these interactions might occur while stillin the planning stage Animation provides valuable insight into how things work and how they could work SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 115 Random Number Generation and Standard Distributions Random Number Generation and Standard Distributions Random Number Generation SIMPROCESS contains 215 random number streams each having a different random number seed You can view
283. t if distribution fitting is attempted and the Auto Fit license has not been activated 10 When On Error Use Default Distribution is selected the associated distribution becomes enabled allowing the selection ofa distribution to use ifan error occurs when distribution fitting is attempted at simulation start Select Suppress Warnings to disable any warnings that an error occurred and the selected default distribution will be used Stream contains the random number stream 1 215 to use when drawing random samples from the Fitted Distribution The View Data button reads the data sources and displays a list of the sample data along with summary statistics The summary statistics include Number of Samples Minimum Maximum Mean Standard Deviation Median Skewness and Coefficient of Variation SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 125 User Defined Distributions m vno i 28 53056698287321 Number of Samples 30 45781278424675 2 Minimum 29 657447630842437 29 520275879322657 31 061680625427403 Standard Deviation 32 06080131709233 Median 30 01219587651154 Rasa 30 47639747890047 Coefficient of Variation 30 681341831976017 Note that if the Spreadsheet data source Starting Row or Column or Database data source SQL Query are parameterized the View Data button will not return data A parameterized Spread sheet or Database data source can only be read at the beginning of a simulation View Data include
284. t the buttons are Animation On Show Clock Show Entities Show Counts and UpdateDynamicLabels The slider is for Animation Speed The final button displays the post simulation animation controls See Post Simulation Animation on page 215 Update Dynamic Labels Animation On Off Post oo Animation I G 2 T 7 w B I I I Show Clock Show Counts Animation Speed Show Entities Scenarios Used to define run Scenarios See Defining Scenarios for more information Verify Model Verify Model checks the model for potential problems If there are issues a list displays with Warnings and or Errors Warnings display in black and Errors display in red An Error indicates a run time error is likely Warnings simply indicate the model may not simulate correctly Problems detected include All the Activities are not connected e Activities with a Rank Method of Highest Attribute Value First or Lowest Attribute Value First do not have a valid Attribute selected e Activities that can have a duration and have Resources assigned have a Duration Value of None along with Resources assigned to the Activity When None is selected for the Dura tion Value Resource requests are ignored Local Send Transfer Activities do not have associated local Receive Transfer Activities and vice versus A local Send Transfer Activity connects with a local Receive Transfer Activity in an inactive Process alternative A Branch Activity ha
285. t Entity Type Requires Resource Any One Member Reserve As Available Model All Members Number of Members None Maximum Wait for Resource Time Value None ball ca X Time Unit Hours Release Entities In Process at Start of Downtime Comment L d The Resources are listed in a tree structure and are identified by the Resources icon All the other items in the tree are Resource groups For example the top item in the tree is Resources To add all Resources in the tree to the Requirements list select Resources and click Add The items directly subordinate to Resources are the names of the SIMPROCESS model and any SIMPROCESS Organization and Resource Models OrgModels assigned to the SIMPROCESS model See SIMPROCESS Organization and Resource Models for more information on creating and using SIMPROCESS OrgModels Selecting the SIMPROCESS model name As Is in the example above and clicking Add adds all the Resources in the SIMPROCESS model group to the Requirements list Multiple individual items in the tree can be added at the same time by pressing the Control key when selecting Resources The units required default to 1 0 when Resources are added to the Requirements list Model Attributes can also be used to specify Resource requirements See Varying Resources Use Edit to modify an existing requirement definition SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 186 Adding Resource Requirements to Activities
286. t Name Serif 12 H slack V Bold E ttalic Line Attributes Line Width 100 Solid Line Color Hi Black Metadata Edit the properties to set the appropriate name and display characteristics The Layout Size is given for convenience since the size of a pool should not be larger than the size of the layout In Size and Location specify the Width and Height of the pool The X and Y values specify where the upper left corner of the pool will be located So an X of 0 and a Y of 0 means the upper left corner of the pool will be located in the upper left corner of the model s frame The X and Y values must take into account the Width and Height values For example if the Width in above example remains at 1300 and the Height remains at 575 then X and Y must both be 0 since any value larger than 0 would place the pool outside of the layout If 10 is entered for Y the following error displays Size or Location Error Mx x For the specified Height Y m ust be 0 In the Add Vendor spm demonstration model the following two pools are defined SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 43 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Name Complete Document Layout Size Add Vendor ties w a Width 1300 Height 575 Width 1300 Height 575 e ERA Width 1200 Height 400 X 0 Y 175 Font Attributes Metadata Font Name Serif Size and Location Help Width 500 Height 160 x 350 Font Attributes
287. t be viewed If Properties is selected for a Master Process copy an option to view the properties of the Master Process will be displayed Master Process Copy e This Process is a copy of Master Process Process4 View Master Process Properties aioe Goat The names of all Activities and Processes within a Master Process copy are modified so the names are different from the corresponding Activities and Processes in the Master Process A number is appended to each name based on the number of the copy For example for the first copy of a Master Process 1 is appended to each name The second copy of the Master Process appends 2 to each name Any Activity or Process names in the copy referenced in Expressions of the copy are updated with the new names Errors may occur if other parts of the Expressions also match names that were changed For example if the System Attribute NumberDisposed is referenced in an Expression avoid naming a Dispose Activity Dispose When Dispose is changed to Dispose for the copy NumberDisposed will be changed to NumberDisposeld Process Expressions can be edited by right clicking on the Process and choosing the Expression to edit If this is done on a Master Process copy as with viewing the properties of a copy an option to edit the Expression of the Master Process will be displayed Edit Master Expression x Process41 is a copy of Master Process Process4 Edit the
288. t is highly discouraged In the Get Resource Activity Properties dialog click on the Resources tab to specify the Resources to be allocated Fill out the Resources Usage dialog as specified in Adding Resource Requirements to Activities on page 186 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 189 Explicitly Getting and Freeing Resources Se General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Biock Documentation Counts OK _ Name GetResource7 V Show Name _ Use Text Block Cancel Hep e Icon GetResource A B a IconSet Default New Entity l _NewResource Global Attributes Tag any tag X Kas PY Entity Type Resource Model __ Collect Activity Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics Comment The Access Create Customer Profile Process is shown with a Get Resource activity added Assign a Clerk to Handle the Create Order Customer Get Resource Profile Identify New Customer Customer Branch Access Customer Profile Process Get Resource obtains Resources that would otherwise have been obtained in the ensuing activities Do not define the same Resource requirement in those activities as well Free Resource Activity The Free Resource activity is used to release Resources obtained at a Get Resource activity SIMPROCESS Users Manual 190 Explicitly Getting and
289. t replaced when dynamic value is updated since they are two separate labels SIMPROCESS User s Manual 200 Background Graphics Background Graphics Select the Background Graphic icon from the Model Toolbar and move it to the layout to add a background graphic The Select Background dialog will open Backgrounds can be previewed before adding to the layout by selecting a background then clicking the Preview button Choose the background and select OK to close the dialog Once the graphic is on the layout it can be resized by selecting Edit Resize Note that background graphics cannot be resized using the resize handles The properties of the Background Graphic has two options on the properties dialog Locked and On Top The Locked option locks the Background Graphic to its current position on the layout preventing inadvertent moving of the Background Graphic while editing or navigating Background Graphics default to unlocked Turning the On Top option on brings the Background Graphic to the front of the layout display Typically this option is left off so that the Processes Activities and Connectors on the screen will appear on top of the Background Graphic Note that Background Text added after a Background Graphic has been added to a layout will be behind the Background Graphic Ifthe Background Graphic is not transparent the Background Text will not be visible To solve this make sure Locked is not selected then select the
290. tates Entity counts for Processes will not be broken down by state These can also be viewed by Entity type SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual Custom Statistics Cycle Time by State Statistics These statistics present the simulation generated cycle time statistics for the selected Process Activity and are calculated based on the Entity counts for the selected Processes Activities Cycle Time statistics present the simulation generated cycle time statistics for Entity types that processed at the selected Activities or Processes The cycle time calculations are based on the number of Entities that were processed at the end of the simulation These statistics show the breakdown of the Cycle Time by state The three states that an Entity may be in are waiting for Resource holding for condition and in Process Cycle Time will not be broken down by state for Processes These statistics can also be broken down by Entity type Real time Plots Real time Plots display statistics while the simulation is running This may slow the simulation but shows arunning view of the Entity count throughout the simulation The selected charts are generated for each Process Activity selected The observation points are connected in trace charts to improve their visibility and are not meant to suggest continuity See Real Time Plots on page 259 Cycle Times Trace and Cycle Times Histogram These charts show the individual cycle time measurements for ea
291. te Branch3 Delay15 Dispose20 At Delayl1 The export will start with Generate1 and then include every Activity following until Dispose20 is reached However Delay 11 will not be included It will be added after Dispose20 but the Predecessor ID value will be the Activity ID of Branch3 Also notice that Delay15 and Dispose20 are not repeated See the export below Parent Process Alternative Activity Activity Type Activity ID Predecessor ID Generate1 Generate 1 None Branch3 Branch 3 1 Delay7 Delay 7 3 Delay15 Delay 15 7 11 Dispose20 Dispose 20 15 Delay11 Delay 11 3 When Spreadsheet xIs and Activities Only In Sequence are both selected Sheet Per Flow is enabled This can be a better option to examine every Activity flow This option creates a sheet for every unique flow in the model The liston each sheet begins with a Generate Activity or Receive Transfer Activity that has no associated Send Transfer Activity and follows the flow until a Dispose Activity or Trigger Pad is encountered or a loop is encountered that repeats the flow Depending on the size of the model and the number of path options this could result in a spreadsheet with many sheets For example the simple demonstration model CallCenter spm has 11 unique flows so exporting that model with these options selected results in a spreadsheet with 11 sheets Each sheet is named based on the name of the Generate Activity that starts the flow Ifthe Generate activity is not onthe
292. terized Column could also contain Model TableColumn If Execute query for each SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 133 Input Sources event is selected SQL Query is executed every time a value is requested from the Database Input Source and the first value in the result set is returned If Execute query for each event is not selected default then the next value in the result set is returned View Data Button All Input Source types have a View Data button Once the appropriate fields have been populated this button will read the specified data source and display the input values This option will not work if any of the fields can only be evaluated at run time For example if the Spreadsheet Input Source Column field is specified by an Attribute View Data will not retrieve data from the spread sheet la gt File Input Data ez Count Value _ 17 52339693 13 22932585 9 435741315 12 6419908 1 218226298 8 427015854 5 949244635 r 44 7en4n4ne w gt CoCr Coes End of Data Options Each Input Source type has four options for what to do if the end of the data is reached before the end of the simulation is reached Continue simulation with no data Continue simulation and repeat data Stop replication Stop simulation The default option is Continue simulation with no data When this option is selected and the data is numeric a value of zero will be returned when the end o
293. tes a connection to an ASCII file The File tab is used for managing File connections Use this tab to Add Edit Copy or Remove a File Input Source Undo retrieves one that has been removed Selecting Add Edit or Copy brings up the dialog below r File Input Source Properties Name File1 File Name End of Data Options Continue simulation with no data Continue simulation and repeat data Stop replication Stop simulation aoe ae Cancel Browse Help ViewData L 7 The default Name can be replaced but the Name cannot contain special characters and must be unique across all Input Sources Distributions and Functions Either type in the File Name or select Browse to choose the file It is recommended that the input file be located in the model s directory A Model Attribute of type STRING that contains the name of the file can be used in the File Name field The values in the file should be separated by one or more white spaces 1 e space tab or new line characters Although not required the file will usually contain a single value per line The SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 131 Input Sources input file can contain comments Any characters that follow double slashes will be ignored Spreadsheet Input Source A Spreadsheet Input Source creates a connection to an Excel compatible spreadsheet file Two dif ferent file types are supported Workbook files w
294. th Text Blocks beginning on page 84 for information on how to use these SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 31 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Add Text Label sets whether the label should be added inside the process for each alternative Horizontal Text Label sets whether the label should be horizontal selected or vertical not selected on the layout The Font Attributes set the default Font Name Size Color Bold and Italic Background Text The Font Attributes set the default Font Name Size Color Bold and Italic Pads Show Name shows the pad names on the layout Confirm Delete causes a confirmation dialog to appear when you delete a Pad Pad Size specifies the default size of pads Small Medium or Large Connectors Show Name displays Connector names on the layout Confirm Delete causes a confirmation dialog to appear when you delete a Connector Line Width specifies the default line width for new Connectors Line Style specifies the default line style for new Connectors Default Connector for Auto Connect specifies the type of connector Bent or Straight to use when Auto Connect Activities on the Processes Activities tab is selected Entities Specify Default Icon Size determines whether new Entity Types will use the values in Icon Width and Icon Height for the default size of the animation icon If selected the default size is applied not only when an Entity Type is defined but when the icon for the Entity
295. the hierarchical view of the Activities and Processes in the model similar to the Activity Browser dialog from the Edit menu The item selected when OK is clicked is the group to which the plot is assigned Plots cannot be assigned to the model TopProcess or a Process alternative If one of those is selected when OK is clicked the plot is not assigned to a group ustomer Service E TopProcess0 B A H Z Generate Calls E _ Process Calls B A Select Call Type Ei Sales Process G Service Process Log Service Call H 2 Complete Calls Find Activity Process Named Of Type abe Assemble With Icon ake Assemble Find Activity Ignore Case v v Icon Set Default ope Uses Resources it Has Expressions Expand All Collapse All Asan example all the plots chosen to be hidden in the Customer Service model are shown below This SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 276 Custom Plots list was displayed after the model was run using the Display Real Time Plots button on the tool bar splay Real Time Plots Call Time In System Sales Calls In System Sales Calls In System Histogram Service Calls In System Service Calls In System Histogram Control click to select or deselect multiple reports By selecting the Sales Process this list can be restricted to the plots in the Sales Process group Sales Calls In System Sales Calls In System Histo
296. the participants in a Process reengineering project and make SIMPROCESS a complete business Process analysis tool SIMPROCESS costing facility is very simple to use Prior to running a simulation define the cost periods for cost calculation purposes or accept the default cost periods which are based on calendar quarters Also define costs for at least some of the Resources in the model presumably those that represent the most significant costs in the business Process hourly payroll salaries capital equipment depreciation etc The following describes how to complete these two steps Setting Up Cost Periods Pick the cost periods that are most suitable for the system under study SIMPROCESS selects Quarterly cost periods as the default but also allows Weekly Monthly Half Yearly and Yearly cost periods The following example demonstrates how to set cost periods for the default run length Select Simulation Run Settings from the main menu Then click onthe CostPeriods tab This will display the Cost Periods definition tab as shown below F Al Run Settings Expression Options Time Server mel __ Remote Transfer I Random Numbers OK Run Settings La cael Debug Traces Cancel Hep Quarter2 Help Quarter3 i Quarter4 View Reset Currency Name USD US Dollar z Period Freqency Quarterly x A SIMPROCESS Users Manual 222 How to Use ABC in SIMPROCESS The list in the upper
297. thout the use of a Connector Entities can be routed within the same model Local or to other models Remote with the Transfer Activity The Transfer Type for a Transfer activity can be Send or Receive A sender routes entities to a receiver Thus Transfer Activities SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 166 Entity Control Activities should be used in pairs Every sender should have an associated receiver A sender can only connect with one receiver butareceivercanhave multiple senders connected to it Each Transfer Type designates a Connection Type of Local or Remote Local means the Entity transfer will occur within the same model A Send Transfer Activity that is designated Local can only connect with a Receive Transfer Activity in the same model that has also been designated Local Remote means the Entity transfer will occur between models A Send Transfer Activity designated Remote can only connect with a Receive Transfer Activity in a different model that is also designated Remote Note that for a Remote transfer the actual Entity instance from one model is not transferred to another model Information about the Entity instance entering the Send Transfer Activity is sent to the associated Receive Transfer Activity in another model The Receive Transfer Activity then generates an Entity that carries the transferred information When the activity is placed on the layout it does not have an input pad or output pad Selecting Send causes an input p
298. time the Activity or Process with the longest cycle time in the parallel scenario ends Consider the simple flow below At Delay o _ gt 2 ateo Generate2 Branch4 Delay21 Dispose16 Alt Delayl2 Delay8 has duration of 2 hours and Delay12 has duration of 4 hours Thus in the Gantt chart Delay21 will begin after Delay12 since Delay12 has the longer duration r l 2 Activity Gantt Chart Eie Branch Example Replication 1 Simulation Time 00 00 00 30 01 00 01 30 02 00 02 30 03 00 03 30 04 00 04 30 05 00 ee i a T 6 Delay12 j Q lt A a Average Cycle Time E Total Time Gantt Chart Interpretation Activity Gantt Charts need to be interpreted carefully In general the flow and duration of the model is seen in a chart However there can appear to be inconsistencies Consider the chart from the Purchasing demonstration model displayed earlier with the breakout of the cycle times SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 210 Activity Gantt Chart Purchasing Replication 1 Simulation Time 1 Jan 3 Jan 5 Jan 7 Jan 9 Jan 11 Jan 13 Jan 15 Jan 17 Jan 19 Jan Purchasing Processes nes Select Supplier ss m Negotiate Terms SE Leal Prepare Purchase Order Place Purchase Order Audit Invoice Average Cycle Time m Total Time W Wait for Resource Time W Processing Time This cha
299. ting If this is done during export Activities that do not have a constant for Duration will use the average cycle time across replications see Cycle Time by State Statistics on page 255 for the task time in MS Project Note that MS Project does not support task times of less than a minute so Activity durations of less than a minute will be zero in the exported MS Project file Bundle Create creates a model bundle file See Model Bundles for more information on model bundles SIMPROCESS Users Manual 25 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Extract extracts a model bundle file and opens the bundled model Model Bundles Print Print Layout prints a picture of the current model layout including background icons but the layout color will not be printed Print Model prints a picture of each screen of the model The first page is a table of contents Process Documentation prints the descriptions of selected Processes Model Documentation prints the description of all elements of the model This includes Name Path and Commentfield entries ofall Activities Processes Connectors Entities and Resources in the model Any information you have added using the Document button is also included List of Most Recently Used Models The File menu contains a list of the most recently used models Open any of these models by clicking on its name The number of recent files is set on the Edit Preferences dialog Exit
300. tional Delay Clone Not Applicable Delay Activity or Delay Dispose Stop Free Resource Not Applicable Gate Delay Generate Activity Get Resource Not Applicable Join Optional Delay Merge Not Applicable Process Sub process Replenish Resource Not Applicable Split Optional Delay Synchronize Activity Transfer Stop Transform Activity Unbatch Activity SIMPROCESS Process Name WorkPoint Process Name Activity Name Activity Name Activity Comment Activity Description Activity Location Activity Display Info The following table lists the SIMPROCESS data element on the left and the corresponding WorkPoint data element on the right SIMPROCESS User s Manual 23 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus SIMPROCESS WorkPoint Activity Duration Activity Planned Duration Delay Duration Delay Date Offset Connector Name Transition Name e IfaSIMPROCESS Connector is a Branch Connector a dummy Workpoint transition script is generated where the scriptnameis the sameas the Connector name and the script description is set to the Condition value e IfaSIMPROCESS Delay Activity specifies Resource usage a WorkPoint Activity is generated Otherwise a WorkPoint Delay node is generated e SIMPROCESS Entity definitions can optionally be exported to WorkPoint process user data The user data name will be the Entity name and the user data value will default to X SIMPROCESS
301. tities Toolbars e Appearance e Counts Processes Activities Show Name specifies to show the name on the layout by default for newly created Activities Confirm Delete causes a confirmation dialog to appear when you delete an Activity or a Process Auto Connect Activities causes new activities placed on the layout to automatically connect if possible with any previously selected activities The type of connector to use Bent or Straight is set on the Connections tab This option can also be turned on off on the right mouse click contextual menu Display Process Badge causes a small icon green plus sign to display on the lower right hand corner of non empty Processes Display Master Copy Badges causes a small icon letter M for Master Processes and letter C for copies of Master Processes to display on the lower left hand corner of Processes See Master Processes on page 103 for more information on Master Processes Activity Width Height sets the default width and height of new Activities Process Width Height sets the default width and height of new Processes Default Icon Set sets the default Icon Set for new Activities and Processes Text Block Show Text Block displays the text blocks for the Activities on the layout The Font Attributes set the default Font Name Size Color Bold and Italic Text Label The Text Label preferences are for text labels that are created from the Text Block of a Process See Labeling wi
302. tities are destroyed at the Join while the original Entity continues on SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 177 Entity Control Activities When total cycle time for Customer Order Entities is calculated at the end of a simulation those split Entities skew the statistics Cycle times for the split Entities are measured from generation in the Split Activity to termination in the Join Activity while the original Entity s cycle is measured from a Generate to a Dispose Activity An Entity named Temp is defined and used on the Split Connectors in the case of Rush Order Processing in order not to skew the cycle time or Entity count statistics for Customer Order Entities Note that using an Entity named Temp for split Entities is adequate if the simulation statistics of these Entities is not important Define a different Entity type for each Split path if the number of each split Entity generated during a simulation is important or any other Entity statistic is important Select the Auto Label option if you want SIMPROCESS to display the Entity name on the Connector The name will be displayed unless Show Name on the Connector is turned off Click on OK when you finish defining the Connector Defining a Join Activity Entities released from a Split Activity are reunited at a Join Activity Do Paperwork at Delayl Split Work Load Get Order From Inventory Wait Until All Work is Done Join ebek bd NoMatch at Delay2 Join
303. tity Statistics Comment a Dialog Field Definitions Number of Pads is the number of pairs of input and output Pads required by this Activity Rank Method sets the rank method of the queues for each input Pad Each queue will have the same rank method The default is First In First Out The rank methods are First In First Out First In Last Out Earliest Created First Latest Created First Highest Priority Value First Lowest Priority Value First Highest Attribute Value First Lowest Attribute Value First The Attribute field will be active if Highest Attribute Value First or Lowest Attribute Value First is selected Select the desired attribute from the list If the selected attribute is a local Entity instance or Entity Type attribute a run time error will occur if an Entity enters that does not have the selected attribute defined Duration is the time specified for a Synchronize Activity that will be applied to each Entity when the Entities are released SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 157 Entity Control Activities Entity Control Activities This section discusses Activities that are used in the control of Entities through the process model e Assign Activity e Transform Activity e Branch Activity e Merge Activity e Transfer Activity e Clone Activity Assign Activity The Assign Activity is one method used to assign values to attributes The Assign Activity can also be used to change the priority of
304. tity Type Display Options Resource Display Hold Count Slut Hr as Model Show Count Bar Maximum Bar Height 100 Display Options Display Processing Count Mires M Show Count Bar Maximum Bar Height 100 Comment S z SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 87 Adding and Editing Activities Getting Help The Help button displays information about the purpose of the Activity and the fields and buttons on the General tab of the dialog The other tabs have Help buttons that are specific to that tab SIMPROCESS User s Manual 88 Generate Activity Generate Activity Generate Activities create Entities for a model during a SIMPROCESS simulation Generally the first Activity defined in the model is a Generate SIMPROCESS generates Entities at the rate defined in the Generate Activity Entities can be generated at a constant number and rate such as a specified interval of time or according to a statistical distribution The schedule of generation can be as simple as one constant rate or as complex as dozens of different rates depending on the hour of the day day of the week season of the year etc A Generate Activity can generate one or more types of Entities Defining a Basic Generate Activity F a Generate Properties So essions EventLogs TextBlock Documentation Counts oK General Start End Attributes a Cancel Name Generate1 V Show N
305. tivity s icon on the layout e Counts are used for setting Activity count display options e Help displays information about the Activity The following tabs and fields are found on most Activity Properties dialogs e Resources defines the Resources required to process Entities arriving at the Activity The Entity waits in a queue until the Resource or Resources can be obtained SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 82 Adding and Editing Activities Duration Value is the amount of time it takes the Activity to process an Entity once the required Resources are obtained Time can be defined as a constant or as a Statistical distribution Duration Time Units specifies the units and measure for duration time in nanoseconds microseconds milliseconds seconds minutes hours days weeks months or years The following buttons are found on all Activity Properties dialogs except Background Text These buttons allow the creation of items that are then available throughout the model e New Entity creates new Entity types e New Resource creates new Resource types e Entity creates new global Entity instance attributes e Entity Type creates new global Entity Type attributes Resource creates new global Resource attributes Model creates new Model attributes Attributes are covered extensively in Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions Naming Activities Use the Name field to assign a name to an Activity
306. toa URL or another document See Export on page 19 The View button launches the preferred web browser if Is URL is selected If Is URL is not selected SIMPROCESS assumes the URL is a file and will attempt to open the file with whatever program is designated to open that type of file For Windows the View button enables when Is URL is selected and the URL File field is not empty or Is URL is not selected and the URL File field indicates a path contains backslashes or begins with The same conditions apply on Linux systems In addition on Linux the view properties file must be in the SIMPROCESS working directory and the view properties file must contain valid url view and file view properties Due to other applications being required the View button is not guaranteed to work inevery case The SIMPROCESS working directory is in the user s home directory On Linux it is typically the directory home username SIMPROCESS where username is the account user name Attributes define custom attributes that the Activity requires This topic is covered extensively in Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions Expressions allow customized processing for the Activity at various points during a simulation This topic is covered in detail in Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions Event Logs are used for defining timestamps and recorders e Text Block is a description that appears within the Ac
307. top layout the parent Process and Alternative names are included Note that Excel limits a sheet name to a maximum of 31 characters so the sheet names are adjusted accordingly Thus if a sheet name error occurs shorten the Activity parent Process or parent Alternative name Each flow from a Generate Activity is numbered starting with one The same model exported with these options creates two sheets Generatel_1 and Generatel_2 Since each sheet has a complete flow there are no Activity ID and Predecessor ID columns SIMPROCESS Users Manual 21 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus UML Activity Model outputs the model to a UML compatible file This feature is disabled in the SIMPROCESS Runtime version See UML Interfaces for more information XPDL Model outputs the model to an XPDL 2 2 compatible file that follows the schema at http www wfmc org standards docs bpmnxpdl_40a xsd See http www wfmc org for information on XPDL Exported XPDL models will contain some SIMPROCESS unique information This information is only useful to SIMPROCESS and should be ignored by other applications importing the model The table below shows how SIMPROCESS model constructs export to XPDL SIMPROCESS Construct XPDL Element Process WorkflowProcess Activity Activity Entity Type Artifact Resource Performer Attribute DataField Connector Transition Branch Connector Transition Condition Activity Delay Times Simul
308. ts sets up the experiments to run The experiments are stored in the file Experiments xml Defining Experiments is described in detail in Experiment Manager Run All Experiments attempts to run every experiment defined Run Selected Experiments attempts to run experiments for which the Selected field is checked Run Specific Experiment enters an experiment name that SIMPROCESS will attempt to run Running experiments is described in detail in Experiment Manager SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 70 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Tools Menu OptQuest Remote Repair Cross References Collect Model Metrics Icon Manager Manage Background Images OptQuest executes OptQuest optimization from OptTek See OptQuest for SIMPROCESS for more information Remote has six sub menus Start Local Dashboard Server starts the Dashboard Server to run Dashboards locally See Displaying Dashboards Start Local Time Server starts the Time Server locally See Time Server on page 142 Start RMI Registry starts the Java RMI Registry Start SPServer will not activate until the Java RMI Registry has been started Stop RMI Registry stops the Java RMI Registry Start SPServer starts SPServer SP Server must be started for External schedules to operate See Adding an External Schedule Stop SPServer stops SPServer Repair Cross References Cross references are used in SIMPROCESS models to tr
309. ts to Discrete to fit a discrete distribution ss a Empirical Distributions Sometimes ModelFit cannot fit the sample data to one of the SIMPROCESS distributions This could be due to the sample data representing a distribution that SIMPROCESS does not support an insufficient sample size or both When this happens ModelFit returns an empirical distribution The distribution defaults to Continuous unless Discrete is selected in Set Default Type An empirical distribution is a histogram based distribution and follows the format of the SIMPRO CESS Tabular distribution page 120 The distribution type displayed in the Fitted Distribution field will be Emp followed by pairs of cumulative probability and value The pairs are just comma sepa rated values In the example below the first two pairs of cumulative probability and value are 0 0060 6 557 and 0 015 7 715 SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 128 User Defined Distributions Name AutoFit1 File Spreadsheet Database W Use File Data Source File Name sample dat V Set Default Type Continuous Set Default Bounds Enter Lower Bound Value Infinity Enter Upper Bound Value Infinity Simulation Options Always Execute Auto Fit at Simulation Start On Error Use Default Distribution None Stream 1 Suppress Warnings Fitted Distribution Emp 0 0066
310. tton and if the item can be edited directly the Edit button also activates The Go To button closes the verification dialog and goes to the layout of the model that contains the problem item and highlights the problem item If Edit is selected the properties for the problem item are displayed without closing the verification dialog If the problem was corrected n z Verifying Order Processing sj arning Gate Activity Gate 133 has Threshold Release selected and 0 0 specified for the Threshold Quantity arning Receive Transfer Activity Transfer152 does not have a corresponding Send Transfer Activity arning Pad in1 of Activity Delay163 is missing an incoming connector arning Pad out1 of Activity Delay163 is missing an outgoing connector Error Batched Entity for Activity Batch158 is not valid erification complete Run Simulation l Cancel Simulation Edit Go To E 7 the item is removed from the list when the properties dialog is closed SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus 7 Verifying Order Processing arning Gate Activity Gate133 has Threshold Release selected and 0 0 specified for the Threshold Quantity arning Receive Transfer Activity Transfer152 does not have a corresponding Send Transfer Activity arning Pad in1 of Activity Delay163 is missing an incoming connector arning Pad out1 of Activi
311. ty Delay163 is missing an outgoing connector Error Batched Entity for Activity Batch158 is not valid erification complete Run Simulation Cancel Simulation Edit J GoTo Activate Scenarios When selected a Scenario can be selected before the simulation starts See Running Scenarios for more information Run Run verifies the model if selected and then starts the simulation running Change Model Parameters This item available only while running a model which has attributes identified as Model Parameters will pause the simulation and allow parameter values to be changed See Running a Simulation with Model Parameters beginning on page 110 for more information on Model Parameters Pause Resume If the simulation is running it pauses the simulation If the simulation is paused it resumes running the simulation Stop stops the simulation and ends the collection of statistics Animation On Animation On turns animation on or off but does not turn on animation that is turned off in the Animation Settings SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 68 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus Report Menu Define Global Statistics Collection View Simulation Results Export Results Display Standard Report Custom Reports Scenario Reports Activity Gantt Chart Real Time Plots Custom Real Time Plots Display Real Time Plots E Launch Plot Application Dashboar
312. ty Each item has an icon that identifies the item as an Activity or a Process and an icon that indicates whether the item has Expressions or Resources Select an Activity and either Edit the Properties of that Activity or Go To the layer in the model layout where that Activity resides Expand All expands the complete model hierarchy and Collapse All restores the hierarchy to the top level SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 34 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus r 5585858 al Activity Browser x CallCenter TopProcess0 Collapse All aag Uses Resources t3 Has Expressions Find Activity Process Named Ignore Case i v Icon Set Default v E of Type With Icon gt x a The Activity Browser can be used to search for specific Processes or Activities There are three search criteria Activity name Activity type or Activity icon Each can be used individually orin combination Search criteria that are combined are combined using and logic The asterisk can be used as a wildcard for name searches The asterisk can go at the beginning of the search string the end of the search string or both Wildcards cannot be used in the middle of a search string Select Ignore Case to perform case insensitive searches Selecting Find Activity finds the first Activity in the model hierarchy that matches the search criteria Subsequent clicks of Find Activity will continue the search for t
313. ty leaves the Activity without processing When this occurs the Entity System Attribute EndWait is set to TRUE See Customizing a Model with Attributes and Expressions and System Attributes for information on SIMPROCESS System Attributes Thus EndWait can be checked to determine whether an Entity exited an Activity without processing and the Entity can be routed appropriately Important EndWait is not automatically reset to FALSE This must be done in an Expression once the current value of EndWait is no longer needed for Entity routing For Activities that collect statistics Entity Counts for Entities that exit without processing are displayed in the Total Not Processed category of the Activity Entity Count statistics page 254 in the Standard Report page 243 Note that there is also aMaxWait System Attribute that can be used to set the maximum amount of time that an Entity will wait for requested Resources see Setting Maximum Resource Wait With Expressions Release Entities In Process at Start of Downtime sets whether Entities are released when Processing is interrupted by Resource downtime This option is not available on the Resource usage dialog of the Get Resource activity This is because Get Resource activities have no delay for Processing See Defining Downtime Schedules of Resources SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 188 Explicitly Getting and Freeing Resources Explicitly Getting and Freeing R
314. ual 108 Simulation Setup Show Clock turns the simulation time clock on or off while the simulation is running Show Counts If Show Counts is turned on each Activity or Process may display one or more numbers and optionally vertical bars above its icon The items displayed are set on the Counts tab of the Activity properties See Setting Activity Count Options for more information e Generate Activities show the number of Entities generated e Dispose Activities show how many Entities have been disposed All other Activities and Processes show how many entities are in that Process or Activity Show Entities turns the display of Entities on or off during the animation Showing Entities assists with visualizing the workflow Update Dynamic Labels turns the display of dynamic labels on or off during the animation Animation Speed Changes the Animation Speed during the simulation The fastest value is 100 and the default is 20 A smaller value is better while debugging the model SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 109 Running a Simulation Running a Simulation Start the simulation running either by clicking the run icon on the tool bar or selecting Simulate from the SIMPROCESS menu bar followed by Run Before starting the simulation SIMPROCESS does two things 1 Prompts for saving the latest changes to the model 2 Checks the model for errors SIMPROCESS issues informational messages and aborts the simulation
315. ual 146 CHAPTER 4 Activity Modeling Constructs The SIMPROCESS Activities that were not covered in Chapter 2 SIMPROCESS Basics beginning on page 73 can be divided into two categories Entity Related and Resource Related Entity Related These Activities coordinate groups of Entities and includes e Assemble Receives two or more Entities and assembles them into a single Entity that is released e Branch Routes Entities through different Connectors of the model network e Merge Routes Entities from different Connectors onto one Connector Batch Stores Entities until conditions set by the user are met and then releases the Entities in one batch The Entities emerge as a single unit but retain their individual Entity identification e Unbatch Separates a batched Entity into its constituent parts Entities e Split Divides an Entity into parent and child Entities that can undergo parallel processing e Join Reunites families of Entities that were created in Split Activities Transform Transforms an arriving Entity into a different Entity type andreleases one or more Entities of the new type Transfer Routes an entity from one model layout to another model layout without using a connector or routes an entity from one model to another SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 146 Clone Makes duplicate copies of Entities Gate Accumulates Entities until a condition is met and then releases a specified number of
316. uest statistics for the specified Connector See Connector Statistics beginning on page 256 for more information SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 76 SIMPROCESS Components Pads Connector Start End The Start and End tabs allow the Connector to be moved without deleting and recreating the Connector The Start tab displays the available starting Pads for the Connector and the End tab displays the available ending Pads for the Connector If Start and or End has a selection the changes are applied when OK is selected To clear a selection press the Control key while clicking on the selected item Pads are small triangular objects attached to Activities and Processes which serve as attachment points for Connectors A single Pad can connect one or possibly more Connectors Entities flow in one direction entering nodes at input Pads and exiting at output Pads Three sizes of Pads are available small medium and large The Pad size can be changed on the Pad properties dialog or by right clicking on the Pad and choosing Pad Size The size of all the Pads on an Activity or selected Activities can be changed by right clicking on a selected Activity and choosing Pad Size Pads also connect one level of a Process hierarchy to another Pads can be queueing areas for Entities waiting for a Resource or condition Putting it Together A SIMPROCESS model shows a business Process as a set of Nodes Processes and Activities connected by Connect
317. unt by State by Entity e Cycle Time by State e Cycle Time by State by Entity e Real time Plots e Attribute Values The Process Activity statistics are limited in scope to specific Processes Activities in contrast to Entity statistics which encompass the entire model Cycle Time by State Total Entity Counts and Entity Count by State are selected globally from the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog by choosing Collect Activity Statistics or locally by choosing Collect Activity Statistics on the individual Activity properties dialog Activity statistics will be in the Standard Report for every Activity defined if Collect Activity Statistics on the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog is selected The global Collect Activity Statistics should not be selected and the local Collect Activity Statistics on the Activity properties dialog should be selected ifonly statistics for selected Activities are desired Similarly Total Entity Counts by Entity Cycle Time by State by Entity and Entity Count by State by Entity are selected globally from the Define Global Statistics Collection dialog by choosing Collect Activity by Entity Statistics or locally by choosing SIMPROCESS User s Manual 253 Custom Statistics Collect Activity by Entity Statistics on the appropriate Activity WARNING Collect Activity Statistics and Collect Activity by Entity Statistics should NOT be selected from the Global Statistics Collection dialog for
318. urce s data is reached Likewise for a BOOLEAN Attribute FALSE is assigned Input Sources can also be used with the Expression function Get Input SourceValue When used in an Expression the returned value can be a REAL BOOLEAN or STRING The only input parameter for Get Input SourceVa_lue is the name of the Input Source See SIMPROCESS SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 135 Input Sources System Methods for a description A simple demonstration model that contains an example of each type of Input Source is in the Demos directory The model bundle InputSource bund1e contains the model and supporting external sources See Extracting Bundle Files for instructions on extracting a model bundle Note that each Input Source in the example contains 24 data points The model is set to run for one week so Continue simulation and repeat data was selected from the End of Data Options SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 136 Run Settings Run Settings gt Run Settings sm Expression Options I Time Server I _Remote Transfer Random Numbers Run Settings Cost Periods Debug Traces _ _ _ _ _ Simulation Period __Cancet_ mmiddiyyyy hh mm ss msec usec nsec Help Start 01 01 2014 El 00 00 00 1 0o00 0004 0002 Help End 01 01 2015 2 00 00 00 0004 o00 4 0006 F Warmup Every Replication Number of Replications 1 Reset Random Number Streams Warmup Length 0 v Reset System Warmup Time Un
319. ust be in an ExtendedAttribute element with the attribute Name set to Coordinates The child element containing the x and y values must have the attributes xpos and ypos The name of the child element does not matter For XPDL 2 0 and higher x y coordinates are determined from the NodeGraphicsInfo element Below is an example of an XPDL 1 0 Activity that includes coordinates SIMPROCESS Users Manual 17 SIMPROCESS Terminology and Menus lt Activity Id 9 gt lt Route gt lt TransitionRestrictions gt lt TransitionRestriction gt lt Split Type AND gt lt TransitionRefs gt lt TransitionRef Id 1 gt lt TransitionRef Id 38 gt lt TransitionRef Id 2 gt lt TransitionRefs gt lt Split gt lt TransitionRestriction gt lt TransitionRestrictions gt lt ExtendedAttributes gt lt ExtendedAttribute Name Coordinates gt lt xyz Coordinates xpos 572 ypos 389 gt lt ExtendedAttribute gt lt ExtendedAttributes gt lt Activity gt Thetype of SIMPROCESS activity that is created is based primarily on whetherornotaRoute element exists as a child of the Activity element If there is no Route element then the corresponding SIMPROCESS activity is a Delay activity If there is no Route element and there is an Implementation SubFlow element the corresponding SIMPROCESS Activity is a Process Other factors concerning TransitionRestrictions come into play when determining other ty
320. vailable if Collect Activity Statistics or Collect Activity by Entity Statistics is selected in Define Global Statistics Collection see Default Performance Measures on page 243 Selecting Activity Gantt Chart displays a dialog containing a list of the replications a tree view of the model and various chart options Activity Gantt Charts Chart Options Select Replication Select Processes and Activities Display Neerceneeiietas i Purchasing a Display Total Time Replication 1 Top Layout i Cancel Replication 2 S altt Display Processing Time Help 19 Generate Purchase Requests Display Wait for R Ti Purchasing Processes apay ree mr ee teres nee Decentralized Product based E Display Hold for Condition Time Select All Which product een sy rag Average Cycle Time SelectAll Processes _ Gel Audit Invoice Maximum Cycle Time Select All Activities 48 Place Purchase Order Select Subordinate A Prepare Purchase Order Use Time By Entity 5 Negotiate Terms DeselectAll A Select Supplier Product A ii E Get Resource r Free Resource Expand All Product B Ban P a CONAGRA s Balt Audit invoice a Note that Sum of Replications is not in the replication list At least one replication must be selected anda chart will be created for every selected replication Select the Activities and Processes to include from the Activity Process tree Multip
321. vels throughout the process as a single Entity It can be disassembled into its constituent Entities using an Unbatch Activity at some later time The Batch Activity is useful when combining several Entities e g merchandise ordered by various customers into a parent Entity for transportation After the transportation Activities the parent Entity can be broken down into the Entities that comprised it Statistics can be collected for the batched Entity separately from its constituent members SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 150 Entity Related Activities rc c Batch Properties hz General Resources Attributes Expressions Event Logs Text Biock Documentation Counts OK Name Batch5 Icon amp Batch Icon Set Default Quantity to Batch 1 0 Batched Entity Release Threshold Maximum Hold Time Value 10000 0 Units Weeks And Minimum Quantity 1 0 Additional Batch Settings None Attribute Entity Type gt Priority Duration Value None Units Hours Collect Activity Statistics E Collect Activity by Entity Statistics V Show Name T Use Text Block fal Ie es X MIES Rank Method Ranked As First In First Out Attribute Comment Cancel Help NewEntity New Resource Global Attributes Entity Entity Type Resource Model Dialog Field Definitions Quantity to Batch is the maxi
322. vities 83 O objects adding to draw space 81 deleting 81 removing from draw space 81 selecting several 81 Output Entity Assemble activity 150 P pads Assemble and Release Assemble Activity 148 connecting levels in model hierarchy 102 defined 77 distributing 55 Hide All Names 60 Hold and Trigger pads Gate Activity 153 input pads 156 number ofin Synchronize activity 156 Show All Names 59 Show Local Names 60 parent entities 150 parent entity 151 155 PDF manuals 72 png 202 Print Layout 26 Model 26 Model Documentation 26 Process Documentation 26 priority of transformed entity 161 priority of entities 96 158 branching on 163 probability branching on 162 Process Modeling 9 processes and model hierarchy 74 creating from menu 60 defining 100 definition of 14 73 sub processes 101 103 activating 102 active 101 102 alternatives 101 copying 102 deleting 102 modifying 102 Q Queue Gate activity 153 hold for condition 148 wait for resource 75 148 R random distributions specifying 90 91 random number stream 91 rank method 149 152 155 156 Real Time Plots 247 251 255 258 plot group 275 saving 265 Setting Plot Properties 260 zooming 268 Release pad of Assemble 148 removing objects 81 Replenish Resource Activity 193 194 Report Menu 69 70 Commit to Database 70 Custom Reports 69 Define Custom Real Time Plots 70 Define Global Statistics Collection 69 Define Real Time Plots 70 Displa
323. w statistics from different categories on the same chart At least one statistic must be selected Select Charts Six types of charts are offered At least one chart type must be selected Bar Chart There is a bar for each value Total Count Replication 1 375 350 325 300 275 l 250 225 200 175 150 125 100 loll im i _ Total Generated Remaining In System Total Processed Statistic Product A Product B Product C Count x Stacked Bar Chart Values of the same type are displayed in the same bar This chart assumes all the values of a bar are parts of a whole See the Pie chart example SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 233 Simulation Results a E Product A Cycle Time By State 375 350 325 300 275 250 225 200 175 150 125 100 75 50 25 0 Time in Hours Replication 1 Replication 2 Replication 3 Replication 4 Replication 5 Replication m Processing Wait For Resources Hold For Conditions Pie Chart A section of the pie represents each value This chart assumes all the displayed values are parts of a whole Any By State statistics would apply here For example the Cycle Time By State statistics Processing Wait for Resources Hold for Conditions and Traveling sum to Total In System Thus if Processing Wait for Resource Hold for Conditions and Travel
324. ware Sales Calls Entities In System The Set Legends button allows the legend title to be changed Also the color of the trace line can be changed When one or more values in the custom plot have been selected the Set Legends and Reset Legends buttons become active The Select All button selects all values in the custom plot and the Deselect All button deselects all values in the custom plot The Set Legends button brings up a dialog in which the text of the legend and the color of the trace line can be set Only the values selected will be in the dialog Double clicking on a single value will bring up the dialog with just the options for that value The color of the value must be set if the text of the legend is set If not the color will be Aquamarine which is the first color in the color list SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 278 Custom Plots Hardware Sales Call Number In System Software Sales Call Number In System Sales Process Number Entities In Process are Sales Call Number In System are Sales Call Number In System icess Number Entities In Process Hardware Sales Call Number In System Software Sales Call Number In System Sales Process Number Entities In Process Hardware Sales Call Software Sales Call Sales Process Number of Entities 12 00 AM 5 33 AM Sales Calls In System 11 06 AM 4 40 PM 10 13 PM Simulation Time
325. wser Select a destination directory and a new directory will be created with the same name as the model with any spaces replaced by underscores All layouts will be exported to JPEG image files with web pages built around them Lists of the model s Activities Processes Resources Entities and each type of Global Attribute will be provided including links to the properties of each The Standard Report data will be included along with any plots that are available via the Display Real Time Plots menu item if the model had been executed Slideshow creates a slideshow file of the model layouts in the model s directory PDF creates a pdf file of the model layouts in the model s directory RTF creates a rtf file of the model layouts in the model s directory MS Project File creates a mpx Microsoft Project Exchange file in the model s directory Microsoft Project options may need to be changed to allow Project to open this file format See Tools Options in MS Project Select the Security tab and click Allow loading files with legacy or non default file formats Activity delays ina SIMPROCESS model translate to task durations in MS Project Since most Activity delays are some form of distribution and not constants a better export can be obtained by selecting Collect Activity Statistics either globally see Default Performance Measures on page 243 or on key Activities and then running the model for multiple replications before expor
326. y Getting and Freeing Resources Release Action Properties Name Release Operation 1 Free All Allocations With a Cancel Tag any tag and Resource New Resource Consumable resources Stock Person Trucks A tag may be selected from the listbox or any tag may be specified which causes the free action to ignore the tag assigned at the Get Resource activity Ifmore than one Get Resource activity was used separate free actions can be defined for each set of Resources to be freed 2 Use the Resource pull down list to specify the Resource being freed or select any resource to free all Resources allocated for the Entity Resources are only freed if they were obtained in the activities specified in the Tag field Model Attributes can also be used to specify the Resource to release See Varying Resources for more information To release more than one Resource but not all the listed Resources create a separate action for each 3 Select OK to accept the definition The action now appears in the List of Actions schedule You can add additional actions to the list by clicking on Add and defining the action To modify the definition for an action item highlight it in the listbox and click on Edit To remove the action click on Remove SIMPROCESS provides the option of whether or not to deduct the amount acquired from consumable Resources when those Resources are freed Click on the Consumable Resou
327. y Real Time Plots 70 Display Standard Report 69 Launch Database Application 70 Launch Plot Application 70 Reports ABC 227 activities 253 256 attributes 252 Costs 227 default 243 entities 246 250 resources 250 252 Standard 243 Resize 28 Resources 181 185 activities and 75 adding 100 adding template 183 allocation policy 182 consumable 185 cost 185 defining 61 100 183 defining requirements for activities 186 definition of 15 downtime 185 entities and 75 fractional usage 184 replenishing consumable 193 usage combinations 187 variable usage 187 viewing by activity 59 Retain Batched Entity 153 Run Settings 64 107 136 Cost Periods 64 running a simulation 110 Running a Simulation with Model Parameters 110 S Set Entity Priority To on Assign activity 158 Set Entity User Attributes on Assign activity 159 Show Name checkbox 83 Show Text checkbox 85 Simluation Output displaying cost results 226 Simulate Menu 64 67 Animation On 68 Animation Settings 65 Change Model Parameters 68 Pause Resume 68 Run 68 Run Settings 64 Stop 68 Verify Model 66 simulation animation options 112 settings 112 showing entities 96 changing animation options 112 duration of 95 107 End Date 107 ending 95 length of in calendar time 107 Max Count and 95 options run time 107 Pause 112 pausing 112 restart after pause 112 resuming after pause 112 run dates 107 run time settings 107 running 107 11
328. ze to Nearest can sometimes improve this situation When selected it enables the list for selecting an available time unit which defaults to Hours All valid SIMPROCESS time units are available When used SIMPROCESS will round all its requests for time advancement to integer numbers in the selected time unit this time unit need not match the Simulation Time Unit discussed on page 137 though it should usually not be a smaller unit This is referred to as rounded synchronization r ry Run Settings em Run Settings I Cost Periods Debug Traces Expression Options Time Server Remote Transfer Random Numbers s Cancel V Use Time Server S Help IP Address localhost Port 1024 65535 26100 Group CallCenter Player Name CallCenter 1 v Synchronize to Nearest Hours r E A As an example assume that the current simulation time is 1 0 Hours and that the next event in the simulation is scheduled to occur at 1 25 Hours Instead of sending a request for time advancement to 1 25 Hours a request for 2 0 Hours will be sent This is because 2 is the smallest integer value greater than 1 25 Ifthe TimeServer approves the request by sending a time advance notification of 2 0 Hours back to the SIMPROCESS model then simulation events with times less than or equal to 2 0 Hours SIMPROCESS User 5 Manual 144 Run Settings will not require sending new time advance requests So if the next three events had times

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