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CHAPTER 1
Process Modeling and Analysis with SIMPROCESSThe 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, a related set of departments, or even an entire company. The model allows an analyst to study the Processes in a business in order to:· Determine bottlenecks or wasted effort· Devise revisions to the Process to correct performance problems· Select Process designs that give the best results· Provide cost justification· 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 of a 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:· Time-varying nature of many Processes· Non-linear interactions among elements of a Process· Random behavior of most real Processes· Unexpected events in the business environmentThe 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 dynamic 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 of a business Process. SIMPROCESS employs discrete event simulation to capture the time-varying nature of the Process under study.SIMPROCESS advantages include:· 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.· 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.· Third, the model allows the analyst to evaluate, in quantified terms, the effects of reengineering the Process.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 who need to reduce the time and risk it takes to service customers, fulfill demand, and develop new products.
SIMPROCESS integrates Process mapping, hierarchical event-driven simulation, and Activity-based costing (ABC) into a 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.How Do You Use SIMPROCESS?
SIMPROCESS allows you to create an abstract model of a Process under study. You produce a computer model of a business Process and documentation (diagrams and descriptions) to be printed.SIMPROCESS is a dynamic modeling tool that simulates the flow of entities through the defined Process. Entities could be:· proposals· orders· invoices· customers· work-in-Process· patients.Items, Entities, that a Process receives, acts upon, or produces should be included in the definition of the business Process. Items flow from one Process step to the next and at each step some task is performed. The Resources, such as people, machines, or 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 Editions
SIMPROCESS has four editions:· Professional Edition - contains all the features and capabilities of SIMPROCESS. There are no limits on model size for models built with SIMPROCESS Professional Edition.· 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.· 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 Terminology and Menus
SIMPROCESS Terminology
This manual uses the following words and definitions in its description of SIMPROCESS.Activities. An Activity is a basic step in a model where an operation is performed on an entity. Examples of Activities are Generate, Delay, and Dispose. An Activity may or may not involve passage of time or 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 of a 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 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 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 of a business Process with the goal of quantifying some key characteristics of the business Process.Templates of Activities, Processes, and Resources can be stored in a Library for reuse.SIMPROCESS Menus
File Menu
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.Close closes the active 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 submenu items:· Assign Group ID· Clear Group IDAssign Group ID will be enabled if no 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," beginning on page 223 for more information 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 of a 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 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 a new model or to save an existing model under a new 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 for input and output files of various types and is the preferred location for imported images (see "Importing Graphics Image Files," beginning on page 168) and external Java classes (see "SIMPROCESS and External Java Classes," beginning on page 602). Note that when performing Save As... the complete contents of the previous model directory are copied to the new model directory.ImportVersion 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," beginning on page 452 for more information.XPDL Model... imports an XPDL model. (See http://www.wfmc.org/standards/docs.htm for information on XPDL.) At a minimum, the following must be true of the XPDL model for the import to SIMPROCESS to be successful.· The XPDL model must validate against the XPDL 1.0 schema at http://www.wfmc.org/standards/docs/TC-1025_schema_10_xpdl.xsd, or the XPDL 2.0 schema at http://www.wfmc.org/standards/docs/TC-1025_bpmnxpdl_24.xsd.· There must be at least oneWorkflowProcesselement with theAccessLevelattribute set to PUBLIC.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.
If x-y coordinates for Activity elements are to be imported, they must be in anExtendedAttributeelement with the attributeNameset to Coordinates. The child element containing the x and y values must have the attributesxposandypos. The name of the child element does not matter. Below is an example of an XPDL Activity that includes coordinates.- <Activity Id="9"><Route />- <TransitionRestrictions>- <TransitionRestriction>- <Split Type="AND">- <TransitionRefs><TransitionRef Id="1" /><TransitionRef Id="38" /><TransitionRef Id="2" /></TransitionRefs></Split></TransitionRestriction></TransitionRestrictions>- <ExtendedAttributes>- <ExtendedAttribute Name="Coordinates"><xyz:Coordinates xpos="572" ypos="389" /></ExtendedAttribute></ExtendedAttributes></Activity>The type of SIMPROCESS activity that is created is based primarily on whether or not aRouteelement exists as a child of theActivityelement. If there is noRouteelement, then the corresponding SIMPROCESS activity is a Delay activity. If there is noRouteelement and there is anImplementation/SubFlowelement, the corresponding SIMPROCESS Activity is a Process. Other factors concerningTransitionRestrictionscome into play when determining other types of SIMPROCESS Activities. As an example, theActivityelement above would result in a Split Activity in SIMPROCESS. This is because there is aSplitelement within aTransitionRestrictionelement, and there is more than oneTransitionRefelement.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. 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.Background... imports a Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG), or Portable Network Graphics (PNG) file for use as a background image.ExportGraphics Image File... creates a JPEG image of the current layout.Simulation Results... 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.Activity List... outputs the Process and Activity hierarchy to an ASCII file.UML Activity Model outputs the model to a UML-compatible file. This feature is disabled in the SIMPROCESS Runtime version. See "UML Interfaces" on page 592.XPDL Model outputs the model to an XPDL 2.0 compatible file that follows the schema at http://www.wfmc.org/standards/docs/TC-1025_bpmnxpdl_24.xsd. (See http://www.wfmc.org/standards/docs.htm 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.
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 (.wfl) 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 SIMPROCESS Activities to WorkPoint objects.
The following table lists the SIMPROCESS data element on the left and the corresponding WorkPoint data element on the right.
· If a SIMPROCESS Connector is a Branch Connector, a dummy Workpoint transition script is generated where the script name is the same as the Connector name and the script description is set to the "Condition" value.· If a SIMPROCESS Delay Activity specifies Resource usage, a WorkPoint Activity is generated. Otherwise, a WorkPoint Delay node is generated.· 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 resources are exported to WorkPoint activity descriptions. If specified, the resources are included in the activity description in the format: "Resource=[resource1],[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.· In some 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 followed by_Dot.txt. The file can be opened in a graph visualizer such as ZRGViewer (http://zvtm.sourceforge.net/zgrviewer.html). Below is a view from ZRGViewer of the CallCenter demo model.
Publish Model to HTML... outputs the model to HTML format to be made accessible via a standard web browser. 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.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 Comment field entries of all 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 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
Undo
Undo restores Activities, Processes, and Connectors that have been cut or cleared (deleted). It also reverses Align and Distribute actions. The Undo is only active at the hierarchical level where the Cut, Clear, Align, or Distribute occurred. A maximum of 10 Undo actions can be active at any one time. As editing events occur that create Undo actions, the most recent 10 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 (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, 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" on page 236 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.Resize
Resize lets you resize a layout object. You can resize the horizontal and vertical directions separately if you wish 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.
The following image shows three processes after Show Handles was selected.
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 multiple 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 pop up menu.Preferences
Preferences allows the setting of personal preferences for various options in SIMPROCESS. These preferences take effect after the dialog is closed.
If a 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.
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.
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 51.)There are seven tabs on the Preferences menu:· Processes/Activities· Text Block· Text Label· Background Text· Pads· Connectors· ToolbarsProcesses/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 pop up menu.Display Process Badge causes a small icon (green plus sign) to display on the lower right hand corner of non-empty Processess.Activity Width/Height sets the default width and height of new Activities.Process Width/Height sets the default width and height of new 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 with Text Blocks," beginning on page 72 for information on how to use these.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.Connections
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.Toolbars
The display of the System Toolbar and Layout Toolbar is optional.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,MyModel41123.tmp). If the current model is new and has not been saved, the name of the temporary file will be the model's assigned name (Model-1, Model-2, etc.) along with an identifer number and a.tmpextension and will be located in the models directory.NOTE: The automatic save does not affect the.bckfile. The.bckfile is created or updated when you initiate a save. See page 21 for information on the backup file.Maximum Number of Files on Recent File List defaults to 4. Sets the number of files on the File menu. 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 Information 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 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 70.)
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 Activity. 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.
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 or in 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 the next match.
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 top level.
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.
Search Items has eight check boxes: Process or Activity, Entity Type, Resource, Resource Downtime, 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 of each 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 the legend to the right of the list. The example below shows a search on theCallCenter.spmdemonstration 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.
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 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.
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 that if the 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 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 theCallCenter.spmdemonstration model. The search was a case insensitive search for any expressions containing type. Four Activities, three Resources, and one Function were found.
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.Metadata Search...
Metadata Search is a quick way of searching for the existence of metadata or searching for specific metadata. See Chapter 4 of the SIMPROCESS Metadata Manual 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... brings up 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 current session, saved and used for subsequent SIMPROCESS sessions, saved with the current model layout and 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.Enforce Aspect Ratio defaults to not selected. If Enforce Aspect Ratio is selected, the ratio of height to width must be 0.75. Selecting Enforce 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 0.75 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 0.75 ratio.
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 layout is subsequently redrawn (when necessary) using the current session layout size.· Clear All Layout Settings removes stored layout sizes for all layouts of the current model. 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.Swimlanes... allows you to add swimlanes to the current layout. The swimlanes dialog has two tabs: Horizontal and Vertical. On the left side of each tab is the list of swimlanes. The right side has a miniature view of the current layout. Note that more than one lane must be added for anything to appear on the miniature view or on the actual 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.
Click the Add... button to add a swimlane. This brings up a dialog which contains the name of the swimlane, whether the name should be displayed (Show Name), whether the name should be displayed horizontally or vertically (Name Orientation, horizontal swimlanes only), and the Font Attributes for the name.
Edit the properties to set the appropriate name and display characteristics. The Metadata... button opens a dialog for entering metadata. See Chapter 4 of the SIMPROCESS Metadata Manual for a full discussion of entering SIMPROCESS metadata.
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.
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 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.
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 spaced across 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 45% of the layout area in the example below. This means 55% of the layout area is left for People Soft HR. The Clear Widths buttons removes all swimlane width assignments.
For the image below, adjusting the width removes the overlap of the People Soft HR swimlane title with the dynamic labels.
