Setting up a simulation project and modeling resources

After you create a model, you can simulate a business process.

To simulate a business process, you must first create a simulation project and then model bulk resources and resource pools using a resource model. You specify additional parameters for the simulation after creating the simulation project. The following steps are involved in creating, running, and using a simulation:

1. Create the simulation project (described below).
2. Specify simulation properties.
3. Run the simulation.
4. Analyze the output.

To create a simulation project

1. On the File menu, select New, and select Business Process Simulation Project.
2. In the New Business Process Simulation Project dialog, enter the project name. Note: The default resource file name is /simulation.resources; you can rename it, if you want. Click Finish.
3. A new project will be created with an empty resource model. You can only have one resource model per project.

To add a resource or resource pool

To specify resource pools and resources, you first open the resource model by double clicking it. The resource model is displayed in tree view.

1. In the resource model, right click the Resource Model node and select New Child from the menu. Select either Resource or Resource Pool. The two elements are interdependent; the one you create first will determine what property selections are available in the other.
2. Use the properties view to edit the properties.

A bulk resource element includes the following properties:

Property Name	Comments	Example(s)
Base Cost	Base cost for this resource	500
Base Cost Time Unit	Base cost time unit	Month
Description	Information that identifies the resource.	Day shift
ID	Generated automatically (a string)
Name	Resource name, usually a role or a position	Manager
Quantity	Number of resources	3
Resource Pool(s)	List of resource pools to which the resource belongs	Front Counter, Kitchen
Utilization Cost	Utilization cost	10
Utilization Cost Time Unit	Utilization cost unit	Hour (10 dollars per hour)

A resource pool consists of multiple resources and is associated with a specific activity. If the resource pool is prioritized, the simulation engine will attempt to allocate the resource from the resource pool using the assigned priority. For example, the resource pool Front Counter, which consists of both Cashier and Manager resources, is assigned to perform the activity Taking Order. You can set up Front Counter as a prioritized resource pool and the manager will be asked to perform the Taking Order task only when there is no cashier available.

Property name	Comments	Example(s)
Name	Name of the resource pool	Front Counter
Prioritized	Whether resources is prioritized.	TRUE
Resources	List of resources. If Prioritized=True, the resource order matters. If available, the first resource listed gets the task. If that resource is not available, the task is assigned to the next resource in the list.	Cashier, Manager