Model 1a - Processes & Activities

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Goals of this lesson


How-To

Have a look at our first to-be-simulated model. It consists of a Timer-Start-Event, two successive activities and an End-Event.

Figure 1: Model 1a - Processes & Activities / IYOPRO-Link


First Step: The Inter-arrival Time of the start event

The simulation needs an inter-arrival time, which specifies the starting intervals between new process instances:

  1. Make sure, you selected the Simulation option from the Property Set drop-down-box (See highlighted area in Figure 5 below)
  2. Click the start event
  3. Now click the button right of the empty field of the Inter-arrival Time option under the Must-Have-Properties (See Figure 3 below)
  4. The Time Editor will show up (See the Figure 2 below and see Assigning Inter-arrival Times for detailed information)
    1. Select the Constant Distribution
    2. Set a constant value of 1
    3. Close the Time Editor by clicking OK


The Inter-arrival Time of this specific process is now set. It will always start by an interval of 1 time unit.

Figure 2: IYOPRO's Simulation Time Editor (in Stochastic Distribution view)

Figure 3: Simulation Properties of the

Timer Start Event


Second Step: The activities' durations

Since activities are time consumptive, they need a stochastic distribution that represents this time consumption in the simulation.

  1. Make sure, you selected the Simulation option from the Property Set drop-down-box
  2. Click the first activity in the sequence flow ("Constant duration")
  3. Now click the button right of the empty field of the Duration option under the Must-Have-Properties (See Figure 4 below)
  4. The Time Editor shows up
    1. Select the Constant Distribution
    2. Set a constant value of 1
    3. Close the Time Editor by clicking OK


As you might notice, the functionality of setting up an Inter-arrival Time and a Duration works alike.

Figure 4: Simulation Properties of an activity


So far we parametrized the simulation with constant values, which mostly do not resemble the circumstances in reality. Therefore, we will bring in some dynamics in our model by setting up a real stochastic distribution for the second activity's duration.

  1. Repeat the steps 1 to 3 from above for the second activity
  2. The Time Editor shows up
    1. Select the Normal Distribution
    2. Set a Mean value of 1
    3. Set a Standard Deviation value of 0.5
    4. Close the Time Editor by clicking OK


Third Step: Starting the simulation

Since the end event does not contain any simulation related options (see Figure 6 below)), we now have set up all necessary properties to start the simulation. Now just click the green Analyze button (in the middle of IYOPRO's top menu bar) and wait for the Progress Bar to finish.

Figure 5: IYOPRO - The properties in the highlighted area



Figure 5: Simulation Properties of an end event