Simulation

Objectives

• Introduction and overview to how to set up a simulation.

• Understand the different “object metrics” that must be captured to enable an
simulation.

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Simulation

• Dynamically model processes over time

• Analyze, validate and perform “what if” scenarios
– Breakpoints
– Warm up times
– Results reporting
• Utilize real metrics with statistical variances

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Simulation - Objects & Metrics

• Events: • Connectors
– Job frequency & growth – Delays
• Processes: – Percent split
– Direct & indirect costs • Connector sets
– Service (‘touch’) times
– Independent/recombinant
– Min/Max batch sizes
– Servers & concurrency • Iteration groups
• Organisations • Process breaks
– Process links – Delays
– Direct & indirect costs • Results
– Available servers
• Calendars

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Preparing a diagram for simulation

• From the Casewise Framework Example model, open the diagram “Process
Order (SDM)”.

• Remove the connector from the triggering Event and run a Consistency Check.

• Resolve Errors
Order Received Record Order

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Events

Frequency: Mandatory

Time Periods – you need to set up your own working day

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Processes

Process objects represent an activity that is performed on inputs - or jobs.

Therefore, while work is performed on jobs, Processes:

– Hold those jobs

– Consume resources
– Accumulate costs

You enter these metrics on two of the Process's Property tabs: Throughput and Costs

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Process Throughput

• How long does it take (Service Time)?

• How may people or resources does it take (no. of Servers)?
• Can the job be worked on concurrently by more than resource
(Concurrency)?
• Can jobs be batched? If so, what are the minimum and maximum
sizes that trigger or end a process?

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Process Throughput

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No. of Severs – Process/Organizations

• If one organization carries out several processes, then the number

servers need to match-up.

• For example, look at the Warehouse object and the Processes within
it.

• Complication: what happens if the Warehouse is involved in more

than one diagram?

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Organizations

Organizations affect simulation in the following ways:

– Processes that are linked to organizations are constrained by the availability of servers in that
Organization
– Direct and indirect Organization costs can be assigned to jobs and processes to reflect resource
utilization.

For a simulation, an organization can be used to model:

– The number of resources the Organization has (servers).

– The indirect and direct costs of that organization (e.g. this could include staff salaries as well as building
heating costs).

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Organizations

4 servers; on the example diagram, 3 processes are

performed by the warehouse

(on other diagrams, the warehouse also performs

other processes).

• A process uses one of these servers and reduces the server availability.
• The process returns the server to the organization when it has finished.
• Consequently, organizations prevent processes from being performed if there are insufficient servers
available from the appropriate organization.
• In other words, organizations can constrain processes.

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Process Costs

• Direct vs Indirect.
• Assign to the Process or the Organization?

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Connectors and connector sets

• Delay
• Percentage Split
• Mandatory/optional

• Recombinant/independent

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Calendars and time periods

• A Calendar is used to specify the distribution of simulation attributes over

time. Each calendar is a sequence of time periods that indicate how the
attribute varies during those time periods. This has many uses, for example,
Calendars can be used to define periods of working time and non-working
time.
• Unless you specify otherwise the Simulator assumes that the process can run
for 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

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Distributions

• Flat
• Normal
• Poisson
• Triangle

When the probability distributions are not used, a given set of metrics for a diagram will always produce exactly
the same results no matter how many times the simulation is repeated.

However, if probability distributions are used and the seed for the pseudo-random number generator is changed
between each simulation run, then a slightly different result will be obtained each time. This is known as
stochastic or Monte Carlo simulation.

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Processes requiring resources from more than one organizations

• Need to use the Reason for Involvement object – i.e. an

intersection object between Processes and Organizations.

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More realistic simulations

• Custom calendars (Simulator > Calendars)

• Break points (Simulator > Break Points)
• Warm-up times (Simulator > Start > Times Control)

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Reports

• Create a report after you pause or stop the Simulation.

• Save to Excel.

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Setting up a simulation – key steps

1. Create Time Periods and Calendars

2. Specify Event Frequencies
3. Add Process Metrics (costs & throughput)
4. Add organizational constraints
5. Associate Processes to Organizations
6. Attention to detail: connectors and connector sets
7. Think about probability distributions
8. Add value with start times and break points
9. Add animation for presentational purposes
10. Create a interpret a report

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Simulation “architecture”

Organization

Uses resources from the

Warm-up time Cycles over a Calendar Break Point

Event Process Result

Uses Costs & thruput per

Time Period Distribution

averaged over a
Job per time period is then acted on per time period and incurs a
cost for that time period.

Need: Event frequency

Process Touch Time
Process Cost for that Touch Time

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