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WebSphere Business Modeler certification exam992 prep, Part 3: Simulate business processesSkill Level: Intermediate

Lori Small ([email protected])Senior Business AnalystKforce Technology, Inc.

19 Nov 2008

Prepare for the IBM Certification Test 992, IBM WebSphere Business ModelerAdvanced V6.1, Business Analysis and Design. In this tutorial, you'll learn how todevelop a process model capable of simulation, as well as how to assess the risksand benefits of a future process design based on simulation data, process designgoals, and using statistical distribution to describe allocation of resources in themodel.

Section 1. Before you start

About this series

IBM WebSphere Business Modeler (hereafter called Modeler) is the IBM businessprocess development platform that enables you to quickly perform organization andresource modeling, analyze and simulate processes, create reports, and buildbusiness measures to address productivity and performance management. Thisseries of six tutorials helps you prepare to take the IBM certification Test 992, IBMWebSphere Business Modeler Advanced V6.1, Business Analysis and Design tobecome an IBM Certified Business Process Analyst.

This certification targets intermediate-level business analysts who have developedskills in Business Process Management (BPM), including process design,organization and resource modeling, process analysis and simulation, identificationof business measures to address productivity and performance management and

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generate reports. It is expected that they will be able to perform the tasks involved inthe role independently, with limited assistance from peers, product documentationand vendor support services.

About this tutorial

This tutorial is the third in the series designed to help you prepare for the IBMCertification Test 992: IBM WebSphere Business Modeler Advanced V6.1, BusinessAnalysis and Design. This tutorial guides you through the process of developing aprocess model capable of simulation. It demonstrates the effects of varyingcombinations of modeling style and simulation settings on simulation outputs, andexplains how resources are applied and accounted for by the simulation engine. Italso addresses how to quantify the risks and benefits of a future process designbased on simulation data, process design goals, and using statistical distribution todescribe allocation of resources in the model. After you complete this tutorial,continue with the fourth tutorial, which describes the analysis and validation featuresof Modeler in more detail.

Prerequisites

This tutorial is written for analysts whose skills and experience are at anintermediate to advanced level. You should have a general familiarity with using anintegrated development environment.

System requirements

To run the examples in this tutorial, you need to install WebSphere BusinessModeler V6.1. Download a free trial version of Modeler if you don't already have acopy of it. The hardware and software requirements for this software can be locatedat WebSphere Business Modeler Advanced: System Requirements.

Section 2. Process simulation

The main difference between business process modeling and process mapping isthat modeling includes data (such as task duration times, resources cost, resourceavailability, and resource allocation) with process diagrams in order to:

• Associate the resulting workflow tasks with the relevant users and

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applications

• Assess the process

• Quantify the re-engineered process

To understand the dynamic behavior of the process, you need to evaluate howresources are leveraged and how work flows through the process over multiple runs.Visualization of the process quickly becomes complex for processes with multipletasks and several alternate control flow paths. Simulation allows you to analyze yourprocesses under various circumstances and preview how a process will perform in areal-life work environment. The simulation output provides detailed informationregarding resource utilization levels and the results of cost and cycle-timecalculations.

Most important, you can vary the conditions in the simulation environment andevaluate how a change in resource allocation or other process parameter will affectthe process efficiency. In this manner, you can identify potential areas forimprovement, such as process bottlenecks and resource shortages, when planningyour business operations, and prepare for any contingency even before thedeployment investment has been made.

Preparing the process model for simulation

In Part 2 of this series, you learned how to define the general process flow (whatwork is done), resources associated with process tasks (who is doing work), andbusiness items within the process (where the work is directed). To effectivelysimulate the run-time process, you need to make sure that the resourcerequirements and process logic are specified at the appropriate level of detail. Oncethis is done, you can configure the simulation environment, run the simulation, andanalyze the results.

The steps for preparing to simulate a process are:

1. Define resource requirements and decision probabilities:

• Review corporate strategy and objectives

• Review the process model

• Define the following matrices to identify realistic process attributeinstance values:

• Roles and costs

• Activity durations

• Resource availability

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• Probabilities on process decisions

2. Define the simulation profile and attributes related to the simulation run.

3. Provide values for the simulation attributes.

4. Create and run the simulation.

5. Analyze the simulation results.

Resource definitions

To achieve a successful simulation, you need a completed process model that isfree of critical errors. Process modeling, like any complex system design activity, isbest approached iteratively. It's important to capture the general process flow,including the tasks that must be performed, and the direction of data and control flowwithin the process. You can also set various dependencies for your processes, suchas timetables and resource availability.

The most difficult aspect of process modeling involves understanding the businesscontext -- the business objectives and how to define metrics to ensure the goals arebeing realized. Even the most seasoned business analyst will need to visualizemultiple scenarios to better understand how to optimize a process.

Once the general process flow has been defined, you need to complete the followingtasks to prepare the Modeler simulation environment:

• Populate role resources with costs and availability.

• Populate activity duration for all activities.

• Populate probability on the output branches for all decisions.

Simulation snapshots

The simulation environment is accessed by defining a simulation snapshotcontaining a simulation profile. A simulation snapshot captures a process at aparticular moment in time, including the current default values and input data for thetasks and activities involved. The simulation profile is an executable representationof the snapshot.

A simulation snapshot contains a copy of all the process elements, such as businessitems, resources, and global tasks. Each simulation snapshot contains an initialsimulation profile, or a copy of the process model at the time that you created the




simulation snapshot. You can customize the process contained in this simulationprofile, as well as create additional simulation profiles within the same simulationsnapshot. Typically, you would create multiple simulation profiles for a simulationsnapshot so you can manipulate the fields in each profile to determine the effect onprocess results.

If you make changes to the process model or to other process elements, yourchanges won't be reflected in the existing simulation snapshot and the simulationprofiles. Therefore, it's recommended that you create additional simulationsnapshots for a process after making changes to the project or to the process itself,in order to evaluate the effect of these changes.

To create a simulation snapshot, right-click the process you want to simulate in theProject Tree, and select Simulate.

A new simulation snapshot will appear in the Project Tree, as shown in Figure 1.This snapshot is named using the originating process name and a timestamp. Thesimulation snapshot contains a settings folder, and a simulation profile.

Figure 1. Process simulation snapshot

Now that you have created a simulation snapshot, you're ready to run a simulation.In Section 3, you'll learn how to set the global attributes for the simulationenvironment, and how to update the snapshot and profile-level simulation attributesto produce a specific scenario.

Animation




The simulation environment provides an animated view of the process in operation.The animation shows the movement of data from the process inputs and betweenactivities. With the process animation, you can see where the process is operatingefficiently, and where delays are occurring.

Time in a simulation animation is represented in a relative manner. An activity thathas its processing duration set to one hour will seem to run very slowly if otheractivities occurring simultaneously have processing durations of only seconds. It willseem to run very fast if other activities have processing durations measured in days.You can set the animation to run faster or slower, but the relative difference in speedis maintained between activities.

You don't need to use animation every time you run a simulation. Optionally, you canturn off animation during simulation, which enables the simulation to complete in ashorter time. This can be a significant advantage when you're running a largenumber of tokens through the process, you're more interested in examining theoverall simulation statistics, or running dynamic analysis on simulation results.

Finally, the tool provides a variety of controls that you can use to manage asimulation. You can use these controls to change the simulation pace. You can alsopause the simulation at critical points so that you can change simulation attributes orexamine statistical information generated by the process.

Section 3. Process simulation settings

Simulation attributes let you configure a process to emulate the real world businessprocess behavior. When you run a simulation, you can define the variables that youwant to measure and analyze. There are several ways to set attributes for asimulation: globally, locally, or at the process or task level.

The precedence for these setting levels is:

• Simulation preferences - all simulation snapshots inherit those attributes(global scope).

• Simulation snapshot settings - the initial values are a copy of the globalattributes at the time of snapshot creation. If these values are changed,they take precedence over the global values. Note that when thesimulation snapshot attributes are updated, all subsequent simulationprofiles inherit the new attributes.

• Simulation profile settings - the initial values are a copy of the snapshot




attributes at the time of profile creation. The values take precedence overboth global and snapshot simulation settings.

• Process and task attributes - are specific to a single simulation profile.

Simulation preferences

The global simulation preferences hold the default values for the local preferences ofeach newly created simulation snapshot. To view and set global simulationattributes, complete the following steps:

1. Select Window => Preferences to open the Preferences window.

2. In the navigation tree, expand Business Modeling => Simulation toview the various global simulation attributes. You can set simulationattributes in the following categories:

• Database Connection

• General

• Labels

• Tasks

• Token Creation

• Visual Attributes

3. Select the relevant category and update the values as required.

4. Select OK to close the Preferences window.

Figure 2 shows the General category.

Figure 2. Global simulation preferences




Refer to the Modeler online help for details on configuring global simulationpreferences.

Simulation snapshot preferences

The simulation snapshot preferences are the default values for the simulationprofiles within a process snapshot. These values are contained in the simulationsnapshot settings folder, and the initial values are inherited from the globalsimulation preferences. These local simulation preferences are then applied asdefault values for any new simulation profiles that are created for the currentsnapshot. If the snapshot settings are changed, existing profiles are not affected, butnew profiles will use the new values. Because profile preferences take precedenceover global preference settings, they are useful if you want to change the basic




preferences for the simulation you're running without modifying your standardsettings.

To modify local simulation preferences, complete the following steps:

1. In the Project Tree, expand the relevant simulation snapshot.

2. Double-click the snapshot settings folder to open the simulation defaultsin the Simulation Local Preferences editor, as shown in Figure 3.

3. In the editor's navigation tree, select the relevant attribute category andupdate the values as required.

4. Save your changes.Figure 3. Simulation snapshot preferences

Again, if you make changes to the simulation snapshot settings, it's recommendedthat you create a new simulation profile. Whenever a change is made to the processor project, you should create a new simulation snapshot.

Refer to the Modeler online help for more information on the simulation snapshotpreferences.

Simulation profile attributes

Simulation profile attributes define conditions and behaviors for a process as awhole. Profile level attributes take precedence over global and snapshot settings.For example, you can update profile settings if you want to run a simulation withspecific input that is unique to that particular profile instance.

To set simulation profile attributes, complete the following steps:




1. Double-click the targeted simulation profile to open it in the Simulationeditor.

2. To view the process attributes, make sure that the process is selectedand not an activity within the process. Click anywhere in the diagramother than on an activity to select the process as a whole.

3. In the Attributes view, select the relevant attribute category tab andupdate the values as required. See Figure 4 for an example.

4. Select File => Save to save your changes.Figure 4. Simulation profile preferences

The updated process simulation attributes only apply to the current simulationprofile. If you create a new simulation profile, it inherits the snapshot simulationpreferences as described earlier, but not the revised simulation profile attributes.

Refer to the Modeler online help for more information on the process attributepreferences.

Task simulation attributes

You've now seen three different ways to set attributes for a simulated process. Youcan also set values for simulation attributes that define conditions and behaviors forindividual activities within a process. If you want to run "what if" scenarios on thecosts or performance of just one or two tasks in the larger process, you can adjust




those specific tasks' attributes while leaving the values for the remaining tasks andactivities in the simulation unaffected.

To update an individual task's attributes, follow the same process as you did whensetting the process simulation attribute values, but be sure the activity is selectedrather than the process. Alternatively, you can update individual task attributes in aconvenient table format.

To set a simulation value for a specific task using the task attribute summary table,as shown in Figure 5:

1. At the bottom of the simulation diagram, select the Simulation Attributestab to display the simulation attributes table.

2. Locate the relevant attribute value field in the row for the target task andupdate it with the desired values.

3. Click Enter to accept the change in the table.

4. Select File => Save to save all your changes.Figure 5. Task simulation preferences

Refer to the Modeler online help for more information on the task attributepreferences.

Token creation

To run a process simulation, one or more inputs must be supplied to the process. Ina simulation profile, tokens represent inputs to the process and to activities withinthe process. A token corresponds to a unit of work that serves as a trigger and istransferred between different activities in the process flow. Some tokens representdata transfer between activities, while others merely represent a transfer of control.




You can specify token creation settings for any input that is associated with data,whether it is an input to a process or an input to an activity within a process. You canstipulate the rate at which tokens are created for an input by setting a time trigger.The time trigger can be a regular interval, or it can be variable defined by adistribution. You can also define the number of tokens to generate, the number oftokens to generate at one time (number of tokens per bundle), and a one-time costper token. Each of these attributes can be set to a constant quantity or a variablevalue defined as a distribution. In addition, you can designate a timetable to controlthe token creation periods.

As with other simulation attributes, the token creation setting can be set at theglobal, snapshot, profile, or activity levels.

Refer to the Modeler online help for more information on token creation preferences.

Section 4. Simulation results

Terminology

A simulation session represents a snapshot of the process at some point in time.Each simulation run creates a set of results that is persisted in the database and isrepresented by a result node in the simulation profile in the Project Tree.

Each run of the process is called a process instance. Each process instancerepresents a specific execution path or case, and the liklihood that one path will bechosen over another is defined using probabilities. Finally, each running task withina process instance is called a task instance.

Simulations provide two types of information about processes:

• Simulation statistics – data generated while the simulation is running,which is displayed in the simulation control panel.

• Simulation results – data compiled when the simulation has completedand persisted in the database.

Simulation statistics and results settings

You can access the simulation settings by selecting the drop-down menu icon ( ) inthe upper right corner of the Simulation control panel, and selecting Setting, as




shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Simulation statistics and results settings menu

You can enable or disable the collection of statistics and results, as well as specifythe number of processes to display. You can turn off the animation duringsimulation, which enables the simulation to run more quickly. If animation is enabled,then the animation pace can be adjusted using the Speed slider bar, as shown inFigure 7. Finally, you have the option to persist the final results.

Figure 7. Simulation statistics and results settings




Simulation statistics represent details about the process as a whole, and theindividual tasks and connections in the process. Select the Processes, Tasks, andConnections tabs to view the data generated for a simulation.

Select Processes to view data relating to the simulated process, including starttimes, revenues, costs, and profits, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Simulation statistics – Processes

Select Tasks to view statistics relating to tasks performed in the process, includingthe current number of active instances of each task, and cumulative cost, revenue,and profit for each task, as shown in Figure 9. A row of data is displayed for each ofthe tokens passed through the process.

Figure 9. Simulation statistics – Tasks

Select Connections to view the quantity of tokens transferred between each activityin the process, as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10. Simulation statistics – Connections




These details are constantly updated while the simulation is in progress. You canselect to display either statistics for individual process instances, or collectedstatistics based on all process instances. If you display collected statistics, thestatistics include averages for values such as costs and durations, and standarddeviations for each displayed average.

When you run a simulation, the tool stores simulation results in a database, and asimulation results node is added to the Project Tree as a child of the simulationprofile. If you run multiple consecutive replications of a simulation, each replicationproduces its own simulation results node.

You can use simulation results to perform dynamic analyses of a simulation orcomparative dynamic analysis of two simulations. We'll discuss this topic further inPart 4 of this series.

Section 5. Simulation behavior

Probabilities and expressions

Processes often contain multiple paths, and each simulation run represents onepotential case or process instance. These variations are generated by assigningprobabilities or expressions to the decision points within the process. Theexpressions dictate the method of selecting a path through the process. Therefore,to truly understand the process behavior as a whole, you should run severalsimulations -- enough to cover the probabilities defined so that you get a statisticallysignificant set of results.

In most cases you'll specify probabilities on decision choices and loops only.




Probabilities are sufficient to perform most simulations, except when very detailedlow-level analysis is required. Alternatively, you can use expressions for low-levelfuture state business models and for models that clearly define the interfaces in andout of tasks and other elements, such as decisions. When you set up anexpression-based simulation, you model how specific data will be treated as itpasses through the process. Expressions are a good way to capture what you knowabout conditions, or business rules in the model.

Probability distributions can be assigned to the following:

• Token creation

• Task completion times

• Task costs

• Task revenue

• Decision paths

WebSphere Business Modeler supports the following distributions:

Table 1. Probability distributionsBeta Represents the degree of validity for the results

Continuous Generated values are evenly distributed

Erlang Used to represent waiting times in queuingsystems

Exponential Useful when raw data is highly skewed; oftenused to describe economic phenomena andscientific events like decay

Gamma Used for continuous random variablesconstrained to >= 0, relevant to waiting times

Johnson Best fit distribution

Lognormal For random variables > 0

Normal Typical distribution that is symmetric with valuesmore concentrated in the middle ("bell curve")

Poisson Used when probability is small and opportunity islarge

Random list Probability that a value will be selected is random

Triangular Most likely value

Uniform Even distribution of value

Weibell Models reliability

Weighted list Weighted probability for each value




The settings for each distribution are dependent upon the type selected.

Refer to the Modeler online help for more information on setting probabilities andexpressions in a process model.

Resource allocation

A task is often dependent upon associated resources and, technically, it does notbegin execution until it acquires the necessary minimum resources. Resourceallocation to the task is affected by the input token creation settings and input logic,as well as resource availability. Overall processing time for a task is based on itsresource allocation schedule and the associated resource timetable, as shown inFigure 11.

Figure 11. Task resource allocation

For example, you may want the time that you model to complete an activity to bedefined by the amount of time that your resource must spend working on it. The Useresources' time required as a task processing time setting allows you to assigndifferent resources to the activity, with different amounts of time they require to carryout the activity. This setting forces the activity's time requirement to be equal to theresource allocation time requirement. This setting can also be configured locally atthe simulation snapshot and profile levels (see Figures 3 and fig4, respectively)which overrides the global value (see Figure 2).

If you want the end time of a task to match the end time of the last resource to workon it, then you should use the Wait for resources' end time to complete a tasksetting to force the activity to remain active until all its allocated resources have




completed the work related to the task. This setting can only be set globally (Figure2).

You also need to associate the resource with each task and define the resource timeand units for the task in the simulation profile (Figure 5).

In summary, if the Use resources' time required as a task processing timesetting is set to yes, then the simulator uses the duration of the longest resource orrole as the task duration. If it is set to no, it uses both times, the resource time andthe task duration time. That means that task duration is an optional field andresource duration is a mandatory field. Thus, you can potentially have multipleresources and roles that each have different durations.

Hint: If you define costs for both resources and roles, the resource cost takespriority. In fact, role cost is used only if no other cost is associated with the resource.

Diagram element behavior

End nodes and stop nodes

A stop node represents the end of the process flow. During simulation, when a tokenreaches a stop node, the relevant process instance stops, and all resourceallocations are released. If activities are still processing when the process instancestops, the Simulation Control Panel displays the message "Simulation finished butnot all tasks were completed successfully."

In contrast, end nodes denote the end of a particular path in the process flow. Whenan end node is triggered, the process instance continues to run.

Each process must contain at least one stop node and it should correspond to thelongest potential path. (Refer to Part 2 of this for more information on how to modelthe process control flow). If not, the process instance might never complete and theSimulation Control Panel will display the message "Unable to complete simulation inspecified virtual time period."

Inputs

All input preconditions must be met in order to trigger an activity. Otherwise, thetoken is discarded and is not represented in the simulation results.

In order to begin processing, at least one of the input criteria for each activity mustbe satisfied. For inputs associated with data, you can specify minimum andmaximum token values. If the minimum is zero, the activity can begin withoutreceiving a token for this input, but at least one other input in the criteria mustreceive an incoming token.



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Loops

A loop can be used to show repeated activities within a process, but these activitiesare modeled as technical constructs more relevant to implementation and may notbe intuitive to business analysts. In other words, loops can be used to simulate asequence of events repetitively. However, it may be more coherent to represent aloop using connections that return to a prior point of the process based on aconditional decision

If you decide to use a loop, a local repository is required to pass data from theparent process to a loop. Similarly, if you want to pass data out of a loop to theparent process, you also need to use a local repository.

This concept can be confusing because a local repository is not directly connectedto a loop in the parent process diagram. Instead, there is a virtual connectionbetween the repository and the specified task input or output inside the loop.

In summary, loops are not always the easiest way to model a repeating sequence ofactivities. It is important to focus on the following key points when using loops:

• Be sure that the sequence of activities within the loop are to be repeatedexactly.

• Choose the right type of loop for your repeated activities.

• Include a local repository in the process if you want to run anexpression-based simulation.

• Add a task input or output for any data that you want to pass between theloop and the parent process.

• Ensure that you have set an appropriate loop condition.

Again, if you use loops in your process, the behavior depends upon the type of loop.Each repetition of the process flow is associated with a single instance of thecontaining loop. If you specify a probability for the loop, the loop evaluates theprobability each time it repeats. Finally, because any repository exists for the life ofthe loop, information stored in a local repository in one repetition is accessible tosubsequent repetitions.

For more information on loop constructs, refer to the tutorial "Using Loops in aProcess” on the Tutorials and Samples for WebSphere Business Modeler Version6.1 Web site. If you intend to export your models for implementation, refer to UsingLoops in WebSphere Business Modeler v6 to improve simulations and export toBPEL for more information on using loops in simulation and exporting to BPEL.

Merges and joins



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Merges and joins each act to recombine multiple paths into a single one. Duringsimulation, the important difference is that merges require at least one input branchto be triggered for the process flow to continue, while joins require all input branchesbe triggered. So, for a merge with a single input on each input branch and a singleoutput on the output branch, the number of outputs produced during simulationequals the number of inputs received.

A join has a single outgoing branch that also sends the same number of outputtokens as input received. However, since joins wait until incoming tokens have beenreceived on all of their input branches before sending output; all output tokens aresent at once. In summary, all inputs received are passed through using eitherconstruct, but they're triggered using different logic.

Business Item Instances

When running a simulation, percentages on decisions are commonly used to controlprocess flow. Alternatively, expression logic can be used in decisions to evaluateactual data values associated with business items flowing through the process. Thissample data is modeled using business item instances.

For a simulation example using business item instances, refer to WebSphereBusiness Modeler Advanced Simulation.

Section 6. Summary

A process represents a potentially intricate system comprised of various cases orpotential paths, where each set of path statistics is affected by the decisionprobabilities and collective task behaviors. Process behavior during a simulation canbe quite complex, and is dependent upon the probabilities and expressions definedfor each branch and the task resource requirements involved.

Refer to Module 4: Running Simulations in the Modeler Quickstart tutorial to reviewthe various simulations settings and how to run a simple simulation. For a detailedsimulation example, refer to entitled WebSphere Business Modeler AdvancedSimulation.

In Part 4 of this series, you'll learn how dynamic analysis can help identify processbottlenecks and improve overall process efficiency. You'll also use simulation tovalidate process flow and examine the effects of change to the model.



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Resources

Learn

• Test 992, IBM WebSphere Business Modeler Advanced V6.1, BusinessAnalysis and Design: Become an IBM-Certified Business Process Analyst.Check out the objectives, sample assessment tests, and training resources forTest 992.

• IBM WebSphere Business Process Management Information Center: Getcomplete documentation on the Version 6.1 IBM WebSphere Business ProcessManagement products.

• developerWorks WebSphere business process management zone: Get thelatest technical resources for WebSphere BPM solutions, including articles,tutorials, events, downloads, and more.

• Business Process Management: Modeling through Monitoring UsingWebSphere V6.0.2 Products: This IBM Redbook introduces the concepts ofbusiness process management, the IBM products that support businessprocess management, and examines a detailed case study.

• WebSphere Business Modeler Advanced Simulation (developerWorks 2007):This article gives an overview of advanced simulation features contained in IBMWebSphere Business Modeler.

• Tutorials and Samples for WebSphere Business Modeler Version 6.1: UsingLoops in a Process: T his tutorial describes the differences between the threetypes of loops and explains how to pass data between loops and their parentprocesses with data-driven simulations.

• Modeler Quickstart Tutorial: This tutorial introduces you to the basic elements,tools, functions, and capabilities available to you in IBM WebSphere BusinessModeler.

• Using Loops in WebSphere Business Modeler v6 to improve simulations andexport to BPEL (developerWorks 2007): This article shows how to revise aprocess with a backwards flowing connector, to instead use a loop. Thistechnique lets you properly simulate the process, and export it to WS-BPEL.

• IBM Training: Check out this site for more information on training opportunitiesfor IBM products and technologies.

Get products and technologies

• WebSphere Business Modeler Advanced Version 6.1: Download a free trialversion.

• Downloads: Build your next development project with IBM trial software,available for download directly from developerWorks.



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Discuss

• WebSphere Business Modeler forum: Ask questions and talk to other Modelerusers in this developerWorks forum.

• Forums and community: Participate in developerWorks blogs and get involvedin the developerWorks community.

About the author

Lori SmallLori Small is a Senior Business Analyst consulting at Verizon Business. Previously,Lori worked at IBM for 10 years in WebSphere Portal Content Managementdevelopment, the SMB Emerging Technologies group, Tivoli event management andas a solution architect for the IBM Software Group On Demand Solution Center(ODSC). You can reach Lori at [email protected].



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