First presented at PEX Week 2013

1. Business Process Simulation
Interchange Standard
Denis Gagné,
www.BusinessProcessIncubator.com
Chair BPSWG at WfMC
XPDL Co-Editor at WfMC
BPMN 2.0 FTF Member at OMG
BPMN 2.1 RTF Member at OMG
CMMN Submission at OMG

2. Business Process Simulation Working Group
BPSWG
www.BPSim.org

3. BPSim Inception
Q1 2013
2012
Q3 2011
2011 Meeting in Paris, BPSim V1.0
Fr. General Availability
Trisotech and Lanner Meeting in Nashua,
XPDL4BPMN 2010 WfMC Establishes the USA
cooperation
Business Process
ModSim 2009 John Januszczak presented: Simulation Working BPSim sandboxed by
Creation of the Process
«Simulation for Business Group (BSWG) many of the
Analysis Framework (PAF)
Denis Gagné presented: Process Management» contributers
with intent to submit as an
«Modeling and Proposed a first draft Trisotech and Lanner
Open Standard
Simulation in Business specification of Business contributes the Process
Process Management» Process Simulation Scenarios Analysis Framework
PAF mapping to L-Sim,
(SIM4BPM) (PAF
Process Analytica and
Sim4BPM
Robert Shapiro presented: 66 individual members
«Analytics for Performance joins the effort
Optimization of BPMN 2.0
Business Processes»
Combined use of statistics
and simulation for structural
optimization
Town Hall Discussions
Participants expressed the
desire for a standardized
transport of analysis and
simulation parameters along
with results of simulation runs

4. BPSWG by Definition
What it is:
A Standardization Effort
What it is not:
A Pure Thought Leadership Effort
Mandate:
Developing, reviewing, promoting BPM Simulation relevant
standard(s)

5. BPSWG Goal
Define a Specification for the Parameterization and Interchange of process
analysis data allowing Structural and Capacity Analysis of a process model
providing for Pre-execution and Post-execution optimization.
Focused on the Data («in/out») (commonly the «what») and its
Interchange not its interpretation or its use (the «how») or tool
smart.

6. Why BPSim
Encourage wider adoption of simulation within BPM
community through a standards led approach
Process simulation is a valuable technique to support process
design, reduce risk of change and improve efficiency in the
organisation
Provide a framework for the specification of simulation
scenario data and results as a firm foundation for
implementation
Open interchange of simulation scenario data between
modeling tool, simulator, results analysis/presentation tool

7. BPSim Tenets
 Not Reinvent the Wheel
 Complements XPDL and BPMN
 Separations of Concerns
 Multiple perspectives
 Reductionist
 Divide and conquer
 Human Consumable over Conceptual Abstraction
 Structured serialization
 Validation via Running Code
 Sand boxing from day 1
 Success Measured by Adoption
 Existing implementations prior to official release

8. Why is Interchange Desirable?
To increase, stimulate, facilitate:
Understanding
Adoption
Interoperability Creates an open market allowing:
Repurposing Cost Reduction
Migration Remove Vendor Lock In
Best of Breed Choice
within tool categories
across tools categories (Suites)

9. Who Benefits from Interchange?
Business
Modeling
Analysts
Technical
Analysis
Developers
Business
Simulation
People
Business
Execution
Partners
Vendors
End Users
Attract and retain customers Choice in tools
Demonstrate market leadership Speed of deployment
Create competitive advantage Readily available Skills
Develop and maintain best practice Flexibility
Agility

10. BPSim Potential Business Value
Process Design & Validation
Reducing Risk of Change
Predict Business Process Performance (KPIs, SLAs)
Decision Support
Resource Allocation and Management

11. BPSim Scope
Complements existing process modeling standards
“Not Reinvent the Wheel”

12. BPSim Approach
Parameterization of Business Process Model (BPMN or XPDL)
from different perspectives for process analysis, simulation and
optimization purposes
P
“Separations of Concerns”

13. BPSim Perspectives
Time Control
Process
Resource Cost
Property Priority

14. BPSim Scenario
Collections of Scenarios containing Collections of Element Parameters
Used to provide complementary information to a BPMN or XPDL
business process model in the context of process analysis, simulation
and optimization (ASO)
A collection of Element Parameters augmenting the Business Process
Model
A Scenario can capture:
input parameter specification for ASO; or
results from ASO; or
historical data from past real world execution of the business
process model.
“Reductionist”

15. Some Concepts and Terms
Meta-model Notation
underlying computer- Notational symbols
interpretable and graphical
representation representation
Standard
Abstract Reference Concrete
Syntax Syntax
instance instance
Your Work Interchange
Reference
Model Diagram Format
electronic file format that eases
• Process diagrams can be considered like pictures of the process model. the safeguard and transfer of
• Many diagrams (or pictures) of the same process model are possible, each this data between different
showing or hiding various aspects of the process model details. tools

16. BPSim Conceptual Model
BPMN or Reference
XPDL
instance instance instance
Reference Scenario Reference
Process (Input)
Scenario
Model Reference (Output)

17. BPSim Interchange Format
Characteristics
Can be transported within the process model file or
outside
Proper extension to XPDL
Proper extension to BPMN
Can transport Input scenarios and Output scenarios
Human Consumable (Readability) of the Resulting XML
“Human Consumable over Conceptual Abstraction”

18. BPSim Element Parameters
Each element parameter of a scenario references a specific element of
a process within the business process model
Each element of the business process model may be parameterized
with zero or multiple element parameters
Perspectives
 TimeParameters
 ControlParameters
P  ResourceParameters
 CostParameters
 InstanceParameters
 PriorityParameters

19. BPMN Example
No
No Stock
Pick Stock
Check Stock Yes Ship Order
Stock Available? Shipment within
SLA
Prepare
Shipment
Shipment Outside
SLA

20. Input Scenario Example
No
No Stock
Pick Stock
Check Stock Yes Ship Order
Stock Available? Shipment within
SLA
Prepare
Shipment
Shipment Outside
SLA

21. Simulation is often a process of discovery
Examine output results
Unexpected result are not necessarily a problem
Primary reason for your simulation experimentation
Need to find an explanation
Will provide enlightment of actual process behavior vs
assumed process behavior
Unexplainable results are a problem

22. BPSim Implementers Guide
A document to help disambiguate implementation and use of the
BPSim standard
Not a complete guide to business process simulation but rather a
set of examples demonstrating practical use of the BPSim
standard
3 use case examples with various simulation scenarios
Walk in customer with car issue(s)
Originate a home loan
Customer calls in with technical issue
Both Input and Output Scenarios provided

23. Walk in customer with car issue(s)
Repair Car
Itemized Itemized
Issues Refuse New Issue Issues
Refuse New Issue
[Accepted] Estimate and [Completed Items]
Estimate and
Continue with New Issue
New Issue
Continue with
Original Estimate Handle New Found
Found
Original Estimate
Found Issue
Itemized
Issues
[Accepted]
No Added No More
No More
No Added Verify if more
Take Apart Inspect Issue Found Repair Issues to Repair
Issues to Repair Prepare Car Prepare Accept Remit
Issue Found Issues on
for Issue for Issue Issue for Remittance Invoice Payment Car
Itemized List
Start Repairs Completed Customer Leaves
Repairs Shop
Initial Estimate
Initial Estimate
Accepted
Accepted
More
More
Reported Issues to Repair
Issues to Repair
Issues
Verify if
Make
Estimate
Estimate
Accepted
Customer
Arrives
Initial Estimate
Initial Estimate
Not Accepted
Not Accepted
Itemized Itemized
Issues Issues
[Amended] [Completd Items]
Initial Estimate Not
Itemized Accepted
Issues Add Additional Prepare Car
Issue to List for remittance
[Estimated]
Customer Issue List Amended Repairs Aborted Repairs Aborted
Requests Additional By Customer
Repairs
Goal
Validate the control perspective of the process, in other words that it
does not get stuck in unexpected loops or bypass expected paths
BPSim Implementers’ Guide

24. Originate a home loan
Send
Verify Close-Out
Rejection
Employment Rejection
Letter
Loan Request
Loan Rejected
Application
[Initial]
Record Loan
Review Application
Loan
Loan officer
Loan Application
Application [Rejected]
Receive Request Receive
Loan Credit Credit
Application Report Report
Send
Approval Close-out
Letter Approval
Loan Request
Approved
Loan
Application
[Approved]
Title Researcher
Perform Review
Title Title
Search Report
Goal Underwrite
Loan with
Loan Underwritter
Terms
Identify potential bottlenecks in the AS-IS 1 Hour
Time Limit
process and potential ways to alleviate them Set with
Default Terms
BPSim Implementers’ Guide

25. Customer
Customer calls in Provide
solution to
customer
Solution is effective
with technical
Customer issue
resolved
Able to
provide solution Solution is not
Front Office
effective
issue Customer issue
Get issue
description
from customer Unable to
provide solution
Inform
customer the
issue is going
to be escalated
Request 1st
level support
Sollution received
from 1st level of
support
report
Goal
This scenario will explore control
1st Level Techical Support Agent
Able to provide
1st level solution Provide
Find solution
solution to
1st level issue
and temporal perspectives as 1st level Issue
Front Office
Issue handled by
1st level support
well as introducing the resourcing Request 2nd
level support
perspectives. The goal of the Unable to provide
1st level solution
Solution received
from 2nd level of
simulation is to get an acceptable support
trade-off between balancing the
costs and utilization of the
2nd Level Techical Support Agent
Able to provide
2nd level solution Provide
Find solution
solution to 1st
workforce against process 2nd level Issue
2nd level issue
level support
Issue handled by
2 nd level support
execution speed. There is not Request
supplier
likely to be a single answer to Unable to provide
2nd level solution
support
Solution received
from supplier
such a multi-dimensional
analysis
Supplier
Provide
Find sollution
sollution to 2nd
supplier issue
level support
Supplier Issue Issue handled by
supplier
BPSim Implementers’ Guide

26. Demo
“Validation via Running Code”

27. BPSim Contributors
and numerous others…
“Success Measured by Adoption”

28. BPSim Acknowledgement
BPSim 1.0 was a collaborative effort coordinated by Denis Gagne and Robert Shapiro.
BPSim 1.0 required many hours of work by individuals who had to find time to contribute
while carrying out their normal duties for the company that employs them. We
acknowledge the valuable contribution of the following individual:
Andy Adler (Process Analytica), Francois Bonnet (W4), Justin Brunt (Tibco), Mike
Carpenter (CACI), Peter Denno (NIST), Lloyd Dugan (DCMO), Denis Gagne (Trisotech),
Torben Haag (Open Text), Hanaa Hammad (IBM), Charles Harrell (CACI), Geoff Hook
(Lanner), Jeremy Horgan (Lanner), John Januszczak(SIM4BPM), Alberto Manuel
(Process Sphere), Razvan Radulian (Why What How), Simon Ringuette (Trisotech),
William Rivera (BizAgi), Jesus Sanchez (BizAgi), Redirley Santos (FedEx), Robert
Shapiro (Process Analytica), Frances Sneddon (Simul8), Tim Stephenson (KnowProcess),
Tihomir Surdilovic (Red Hat).

29. Discussions & Questions
www.BPSim.org