Comments on: Fulfilling the Promise of Process Simulation http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/ Bruce Silver's blog on business process management Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:48:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: BPMS Watch » Deeper Into Simulation - Part 1 http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/#comment-348 BPMS Watch » Deeper Into Simulation - Part 1 Mon, 18 Dec 2006 23:49:02 +0000 http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/#comment-348 [...] A couple months ago I posted about the deficient simulation capabilities of most process modeling tools.  More recently I’ve been working with ITP Commerce - the tool provider for my upcoming BPMN training - on enhancing their simulation features to address the use cases that figure most prominently in process analysis.  It’s been a really instructive exercise, and I’m still struggling through it.  I’m interested in hearing about the experience of BPMS Watch readers who have used simulation successfully.  From my own process of thinking about the problem, here’s what I’ve come up with. [...] [...] A couple months ago I posted about the deficient simulation capabilities of most process modeling tools.  More recently I’ve been working with ITP Commerce - the tool provider for my upcoming BPMN training - on enhancing their simulation features to address the use cases that figure most prominently in process analysis.  It’s been a really instructive exercise, and I’m still struggling through it.  I’m interested in hearing about the experience of BPMS Watch readers who have used simulation successfully.  From my own process of thinking about the problem, here’s what I’ve come up with. [...]

]]> By: jakhtar http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/#comment-291 jakhtar Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:05:08 +0000 http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/#comment-291 Recently started reading your blogs and I guess I was missing on something reasonable here. I started using process simulation from Holosofx WBI (later bought by IBM and is now Webspher Modeler). Now that I am getting myself deeper into BPM world, I am in need of such a tool. IBM Modeler is part of their SOA suite and obviously expensive. I have been able to activate the Intalio BPM (open source) and investigation its simulation capabilities. I will be glad to hear a few names (open source or free for dev purposes) of BPM tools providing simulation features. Thanks Recently started reading your blogs and I guess I was missing on something reasonable here.

I started using process simulation from Holosofx WBI (later bought by IBM and is now Webspher Modeler). Now that I am getting myself deeper into BPM world, I am in need of such a tool. IBM Modeler is part of their SOA suite and obviously expensive. I have been able to activate the Intalio BPM (open source) and investigation its simulation capabilities.

I will be glad to hear a few names (open source or free for dev purposes) of BPM tools providing simulation features.

Thanks

]]> By: bruce http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/#comment-287 bruce Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:47:55 +0000 http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/#comment-287 Bryan, Outside of dedicated discrete event simulation tools -- in which the process model semantics would have to be coded in the tool's simulation language -- I don't know of any that meet all of the criteria I describe. But I admit I haven't really surveyed the vendors. It's a good idea, and I think I should do that. Two of the frequently missing features are simulation of exception flows and simulation based on instance variable data. I believe Appian, Lombardi, and the new version of ITP Commerce's Process Modeler all support parameterizing BPMN intermediate events with a probability. I don't know of any tools that use instance variables in the simulation logic, although ARIS might since they claim to support Corticon business rules within the simulation. But you ask a good question, and now I'm curious myself. --Bruce Bryan,

Outside of dedicated discrete event simulation tools — in which the process model semantics would have to be coded in the tool’s simulation language — I don’t know of any that meet all of the criteria I describe. But I admit I haven’t really surveyed the vendors. It’s a good idea, and I think I should do that.

Two of the frequently missing features are simulation of exception flows and simulation based on instance variable data. I believe Appian, Lombardi, and the new version of ITP Commerce’s Process Modeler all support parameterizing BPMN intermediate events with a probability. I don’t know of any tools that use instance variables in the simulation logic, although ARIS might since they claim to support Corticon business rules within the simulation. But you ask a good question, and now I’m curious myself.
–Bruce

]]> By: BryanFrew http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/#comment-286 BryanFrew Thu, 26 Oct 2006 05:58:13 +0000 http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/10/09/fulfilling-the-promise-of-process-simulation/#comment-286 We use simulation becuase it's impossible/ difficult to predict the behaviour of a complex system without it. So the closer we can model reality the better - within reason. So Bruce, is there anything out there that meets your criteria. We use ARIS. The simulation module in the Toolset, with the appropriate modelling of events, gets close. However this module is not available in their new Architect product nor does simulation work off their BPMN models. We use simulation becuase it’s impossible/ difficult to predict the behaviour of a complex system without it. So the closer we can model reality the better - within reason.

So Bruce, is there anything out there that meets your criteria. We use ARIS. The simulation module in the Toolset, with the appropriate modelling of events, gets close. However this module is not available in their new Architect product nor does simulation work off their BPMN models.

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