General Information

Overview

• After creating a BPMN model in Visio, what are the steps to run a successful simulation?

  1. Define the simulation scenario.
  2. Define resources, including roles, people, systems and time.
  3. Define activities, including duration and performers.
  4. Define arrival patterns for work items, including frequency and volume.
  5. Run the simulation and review the results.
  6. Adjust simulation values to optimize the results, then rerun the simulation.

• How can I make product suggestions?

  Please send them to Global 360 at FeatureRequest@global360.com

• What are some common simulation terms and what do they mean?

  Scenario: a business process map plus a collection of simulation settings.
  Resources: the people and systems that perform work in a process; information about their productivity and cost is used to calculate simulated process statistics.
  Arrivals: the patterns of work that arrive at the beginning of and during a process.
  Distributions: statistical patterns used to introduce randomness in simulations; for example, a uniform distribution produces random values between two user-specified numbers; a normal distribution produces values according to a "bell curve".

• What are the benefits of simulation?

  A well-designed simulation can highlight and quantify what is working or not working in a current process. Simulation results can also be used to plan specific changes that can lead to reduced process execution time, reduced cost, better staff allocation, improved efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction. Simulation also allows you to quantify the impact of process changes in a risk-free environment, where results are seen faster than in real-life implementations.

• What is BPMN and where can I learn more about it?

  BPMN is developed and promoted by the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) within the Object Management Group. According to their definition:
  The Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is a graphical notation that depicts the steps in a business process. BPMN depicts the end-to-end flow of a business process.
  BPMN was designed to be simple enough to be understandable by business users yet sufficiently rich to represent complex process implementation details. In essence, BPMN was designed to bridge the communication gap that can arise between business people and systems implementers. For a list of books and articles about BPMN, visit http://www.bpm.org.

• What is process simulation?

  Process simulation starts with a map of a process and involves defining mathematical representations of the parts of the model. Once the parameters of the model have been defined, you can use the simulation engine to imitate the flow of work through the process.

• Why simulate a process?

  Process simulation is an excellent way to look for bottlenecks, staffing problems, training deficiencies or other shortcomings in an existing process. Simulation is also an excellent way to test potential process changes by experimenting with different workflow paths, staffing levels, cross training or other variations in future work patterns.

Getting Started

• Are there any software or hardware prerequisites for installing analystView?

  Software: analystView requires prior installation of Microsoft Visio Premium 2010 running on Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7.

  Operating System: Windows XP with Service Pack (SP) 3 (32-bit), Windows Vista with SP1, Windows Server 2003 R2 with MSXML 6.0, Windows Server 2008 or later (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows 7 or later (32-bit and 64-bit) operating systems.

  Hardware: hardware requirements for analystView match those for Visio 2010, as published by Microsoft:
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624351.aspx#section14

• Do you have any simulation examples?

  Yes, analystView includes two insurance claims processing examples - an "as is" model of the current process and a "to be" model. Even if you know nothing about processing insurance claims, these examples will be very helpful in learning about designing and running a simulation, and then using the results to optimize the process.
  The insurance examples are featured prominently in the analystView Getting Started Guide, which is available online and as a PDF download at www.global360.com/analystview-support/gettingstarted.

• How do I convert old Visio models to BPMN models?

  At this time, there is no automated way to perform this conversion. However, Visio 2010's rapid drawing tools make it relatively simple to redraw your existing models in BPMN format.

• How do I start analystView?

  Because analystView runs as an add-in to Microsoft Visio Premium 2010, you should begin by launching Visio in the usual way. Then when you either open an existing diagram based on the BPMN template or create a new model from the BPMN template, the analystView Simulation tab and Setup Assistant panes will appear.

• I opened a BPMN diagram but don’t see the analystView Setup Assistant pane. How do I open it?

  If the Setup Assistant pane was closed prior to saving and closing a BPMN diagram, the analystView Setup pane will not appear when the diagram is reopened. To open it at any time, click on the Simulation tab, then click the Panes button and select Setup Assistant.

• I’ve started Visio and want to run a simulation but can’t find analystView. Where is it?

  analystView is only active when a diagram based on the BPMN template is open. When the active drawing in Visio Premium 2010 is a BPMN diagram, click the Simulation tab to access most analystView functions.

  Other analystView features like XPDL Import and Export and analystView Simulation Rules to Check are available under Visio's Process tab.

• Is SharePoint 2010 required to run analystView?

  No. SharePoint is not required to run analystView simulations. However, SharePoint can be used to store, version and share analystView models and simulation configurations. When collaborating with others to analyze and improve processes, SharePoint 2010's new Visio Services feature is an excellent way to share models with a broad audience - including with users who do not have Visio or analystView.

• Is there a best method for creating simulations with analystView?

  The analystView Analysis Guide contains suggestions and best practices for analyzing, simulating and improving business processes. The Analysis Guide is available at www.global360.com/analystview-support.

• Is there an analystView template in Visio?

  analystView does not require a template of its own. Any time you open or create a diagram based on Visio Premium 2010's BPMN template, analystView will automatically be activated.

• What additional training is available?

  The analystView Getting Started Guide is available for self-paced training:
  www.global360.com/analystview-support/gettingstarted

  Global 360 offers an online, computer-based training course and instructor-led classroom courses for analystView:
  www.global360.com/services/training-course-descriptions

  You can also find more information about analystView in our analystView User Guide, available at:
  www.global360.com/analystview-support

• What data do I need to collect before I create a simulation scenario?

  You will either need existing process data or you will need to create data that describes your process. The list below is not exhaustive but will give you an idea of the types of information required for a simulation (note that the bold word at the beginning of each entry matches the name of the configuration button on analystView's Simulation tab):
  • General: Scenario name and description, start time and duration for simulation
  • Fields: Variables that can be set and read during execution of a simulation
  • Resources: participants, roles, work schedules
  • Activities: duration, performers, exit routes
  • Arrivals: what, where and when work is created
  • Statistics: timed sequences, logged events, service level agreements

• What is analystView?

  analystView integrates with Microsoft Visio Premium 2010 to help you model, simulate and optimize your business processes. Simulations enable you to analyze your business processes using either historic or simulated data, and give you the ability to vary staff and system resources, work arrival rates and other parameters during each simulation run.

  analystView provides detailed statistics that let you watch the progress of simulated work objects as they move through your process so you can review the effectiveness and timeliness of simulated work. You can feed proposed changes in policies, staffing levels and business processes back into trial or live production systems to achieve bottom-line improvements in cost, service levels or quality.

  Completed processes can be exported as XPDL for subsequent execution with a Business Process Management (BPM) Suite from Global 360, or for use with other BPM systems that support XPDL.

• What’s the difference between an “as is” and a “to be” process? Which one do I need?

  An "as is" model represents the current state of the process. A "to be" model describes a future version of the process.

  If your goal is to understand your current process better, then creating an "as is" map and running simulation scenarios from it may be sufficient.

  If your goal is to design a new and improved process, it may still be a good idea to document your "as is" process first so you can learn what is and isn't working well. However, if you know that your current process should be discarded, you might create a "to be" model first and then simulate various alternative implementations.

• Where can I get more help?

  For general information about analystView or about other products and services from Global 360, please visit www.global360.com.

  For analystView technical assistance, please visit www.global360.com/analystview-support or send email to support@global360.com.

  For sales assistance, please contact Global 360 at analystView.sales@global360.com.

• Will analystView work with any version of Visio?

  analystView requires Visio Premium 2010.

Ownership/Licensing

Ownership

• Can I evaluate analystView before I buy it?

  Yes. You can download a 60-day trial version of analystView from www.global360.com/analystview

• Can I purchase Visio and analystView together?

  For individual or low volume purchases, it is most efficient to purchase both products over the Internet.

  analystView and Visio can be purchased together from Global 360 for volume sales. Contact analystView.sales@global360 for volume purchases.

• How much is Visio Premium 2010?

  The list price for Visio Premium 2010 is $999. The price you pay may be less depending on where you buy the software and whether your organization has volume licensing agreements with Microsoft.

• Where can I get Visio Premium 2010?

  Visio Premium 2010 is available directly from Microsoft through both retail and volume licensing programs. You can also purchase Visio at the same places you purchase any Microsoft software, include software retailers like Amazon.com and Target.

• Where can I purchase analystView?

  analystView is available at www.global360.com/analystView.

  For information about volume purchases, please contact Global 360 sales at http://mce_host/eengine/analystview.sales@gloal360.com.

Licensing

• Can I transfer software to another user?

  Your analystView license can be given to another user at your organization as long as you stop using it. Note that the licensing technology in analystView limits the number of activations per purchased copy. If you have trouble activating the software, please contact support@global360.com.

• Do I have to renew my license periodically?

  No. In addition, your license includes minor version updates and service packs. Just like with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite and other popular desktop applications, major versions that bring significant new features will require the purchase of an upgrade package.

• Do you offer volume licensing options and discounts?

  Yes. Contact analystView.sales@global360.com for help.

• How much does a license cost?

  Current pricing is available at www.global360.com/analystView.

• I followed the instructions to activate analystView but it isn’t working. What do I do?

  Contact support@global360.com for help.

• I purchased a license. How do I activate it?

  After purchasing analystView, Global 360 will send a license key to the e-mail address you provided at the time of purchase.

  To activate analystView, click "Activate" on the Welcome Screen or select Activate from the analystView Help menu. When the Activation screen appears, either copy and paste or type your license key into the appropriate space. Access to the internet is required for the activation process to complete successfully.

• What are the limits on my trial version?

  There are no feature limitations in the evaluation version of analystView, however, it will stop working after 60 days.

• Will analystView work with the 60-day trial version of Visio Premium 2010?

  Yes.

Product/Technical

Setup and Configuration

• Are all of the BPMN symbols used in my simulation?

  The analystView simulation engine only uses a subset of BPMN symbols:
  • Start Event
  • Task Activity (User, Script, None)
  • Gateway (Parallel, Exclusive Data, Exclusive Data with Marker)
  • Collapsed Sub-Process
  • Sequence Flow
  • End Event
  You can use other BPMN symbols in your Visio diagram but they will not be incorporated into the simulation.

• Can I restrict my simulation so it only runs on the days and shifts when my company operates?

  Absolutely. analystView supports the concept of "business days." You define the length of the business day on the Simulation Statistics tab of the Simulation General Settings dialog. Then you define which work schedules are part of the business day on the Schedules tab of the Resources dialog.

• Can I simulate activities performed by IT systems or just those done by people?

  When you define process participants on the Participants tab of the Resources dialog, you can indicate how work is done by selecting either Human or System from the Type dropdown list.

  Note that BPMN refers to activities done by a system as Script activities.

• Can I simulate both parallel and serial routing?

  Yes. Representing serial routing requires nothing more than linking activity with Sequence Flow arrows. To represent parallel routing, use a Parallel Gateway symbol at the point where work paths split apart and another at the point where the paths converge.

• Can I simulate non-BPMN processes?

  No, analystView only works for processes defined using Visio Premium 2010's BPMN shapes.

• Can I write my own functions to simulate how work is processed in my organization?

  Yes. The Expression Builder allows you to use predefined mathematical functions or to write your own functions. To open the Expression Builder, click the browse button (a square button displaying an ellipsis ("...")) located to the right of most numeric data fields in the analystView configuration dialogs.

  You can also use the analystView extensions to JavaScript to write expressions that are even more sophisticated. The Pre-Processing and Post-Processing tabs in the Activities dialog allow you to incorporate your own scripts. Note: the Pre-Processing and Post-Processing tabs only appear for user and script activities.

  For more information, refer to the Building expressions chapter in the analystView help text.

• How do I know whether my process diagram/model is correct?

  Visio Premium 2010 includes a set of BPMN validation rules to ensure that there are no structural errors in your process map. There are a large number of rules, but as one example, Visio validation will ensure that Gateways (decisions) have one input and at least two outputs.

  analystView adds additional validation rules to ensure that the simulation scenario is complete. To validate BPMN and simulation rules when using analystView, select the Process tab, then click the Check Diagram icon.

• How do I simulate decisions that are made by people?

  You can simulate decisions made by people in either of two ways: 1) by assigning relative weights to the outcome options or, 2) by assigning conditions whose evaluation will determine which outcome is selected. Your choice between the two options will be based on your knowledge of the underlying work process.

• What are activities?

  An activity is a step within a process. Most activities involve completion of work by a person, machine or IT system and are represented by rectangles on a BPMN process map. Activities of this type are often referred to as tasks.

  Decision steps in BPMN are drawn as diamond shapes and are called explicit gateway activities.

• What are arrivals?

  Arrivals are at the heart of process simulation because they define what, where and when work is created. You can use very simple numbers or formulae to define arrivals, or you can use sophisticated mathematical functions to simulate complex queuing, delays, work patterns and exceptions.

• What are distribution functions and how do I use them?

  Distribution functions allow you to simulate variations in process workflow. For example, you can configure work to arrive at predictable, repeatable rates or in random bursts. In the analystView configuration dialogs, there is a browse button (a square button displaying an ellipsis ("...")) to the right of most numeric data fields. If you click the browse button, analystView will open the Expression Builder dialog from which you can select and configure various distribution functions.

  For a detailed description of each built-in distribution function, open the analystView help text, then open the Advanced simulations chapter and the Distributions subchapter.

• What do I do if my model doesn’t pass the validation test?

  If your model fails one or more of analystView's validation rules, the Issues window will open below the diagram. Each violation will be described on one line and will show both a rule category, e.g, "analystView Model error," and the page on which the error occurred.

  Tip: If the rule description has been truncated in the Issues window, hover over the description and the full text will appear in a text balloon.

  Tip: If you click on an error in the Issues windows that relates to a shape on the currently displayed page, the affected shape will be highlighted by Visio.

Importing and Exporting Data

• Can analystView import all XPDL files?

  In general, analystView can import process definitions created in XPDL 2.0. Please note, however, that there may be some incompatibilities between different XPDL 2.0 implementations. It is possible to create import adapters for incompatible XPDL implementations.

• Can I export data so I can use it in another simulation or in another system?

  Yes. You can:
  • Export data to process management applications from Global 360 and other vendors using XPDL;
  • Export data to Global 360's managerView product; for more information:
  www.global360.com/products/capability/dashboards-monitoring

• Can I import data from other sources into my simulation?

  Yes. You can:
  • Import participant names from a CSV file;
  • Import data from other process management applications using XPDL;
  • Acquire process data from Global 360's managerView product www.global360.com/products/capability/dashboards-monitoring

• Can I import simulation data using XPDL?

  Yes. Click the Process tab in Visio Premium 2010, then click the XPDL Import button.

• Can I run my simulation using real production data?

  Yes. If you also have Global 360's managerView product (see www.global360.com/managerView for more information), analystView can acquire production data from managerView.

• How do I import process data from managerView?

  analystView can interact with managerView in two ways. It can
  • Produce data for managerView, so simulated data can be analyzed in the same way as production data.
  • Acquire data from managerView, so production data can be imported into the simulation scenario.

  Use the managerView section on the Simulation tab to configure managerView options within analystView.

  You must have permission to access the managerView server to import or export data between the Analysis Engine and databases and analystView.

• What is managerView?

  managerView is a product suite from Global 360 that provides:
  • A process intelligence engine that correlates live or simulated process information with process models.
  • Multi-dimensional data structures that combine business and process data to answer complicated questions, such as the average time to process various sizes of loans.
  • Data visualization, reporting, and dashboard tools allowing business analysts and managers to explore data, gain insights and share them with others.
  • Sample reports with sample data that showcase basic inventory, process, and productivity data.
  Refer to www.global360.com/managerView for more information.

• What is XPDL and where should I use it?

  The XML Process Definition Language (XPDL) is a format standardized by the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) to interchange business process definitions between different workflow products, such as modeling tools and workflow engines. analystView can directly import XPDL 2.0 from many tools that produce XPDL 2.0, including other Global 360 products such as Process360 and Case360.

  For additional information, refer to XPDL.org or the Workflow Management Coalition.

• Which version of XPDL does analystView support?

  XPDL 2.0

• XPDL export is not in the simulation tab, where do I find it?

  The XPDL import and export buttons are located on Visio's Process tab because you may want to import or export XPDL for processes that are not involved with simulation.

Running Simulations

• A Setup Assistant item doesn't show a green checkmark. Can I run the simulation?

  Yes. You can run a simulation as long as all items in the Setup Assistant pane show either a green circle with a checkmark or a yellow circle containing a dash. You will see the yellow circle status indicator if your map passes all of the process validation rules but you've accepted defaults rather than configuring every parameter in every dialog.

• How do I start the simulation?

  Once you have created you simulation scenario, open the Simulation tab in Visio Premium 2010 and click the Run button on the left end of the ribbon.

• How do I stop a simulation?

  You can pause a running simulation by clicking either of two pause buttons: one is located in the analystView Execution window that appears while your simulation is running; the second button is located on the left end of the Simulation ribbon. Both buttons have the same appearance as the pause button on a VCR or DVD player.

  You can also pause or replay a simulation using the Execution Panel that appears after you click the Run button to execute a simulation.

• How long should my simulation take?

  A simulation can take anywhere from a few seconds to many hours to complete. Execution time depends on multiple factors, including process complexity, simulation scenario complexity and the speed and memory configuration of your PC.

  One way to reduce simulation time is by reducing the frequency of statistics collection. Refer to the Simulation Statistics tab in the General settings dialog.

  You can also change the speed of the simulation as it executes. After pressing the Run button under the Simulation tab, the Execution Panel will appear showing the progress of the simulation. The Execution Panel includes a slider bar that allows you to increase or decrease the speed of a simulation run.

• I closed the Setup Assistant pane, how do I open it again?

  On the Simulation tab, click Panes and select Setup Assistant.

• What if my simulation fails?

  Certain problems with scenario configuration, such as repeating schedules or arrivals that overlap, can cause an error while the simulation is running. Fix the problem mentioned in the error message, consulting the help text if needed.

Viewing and Interpreting Results

• Can analystView optimize my process for me?

  Yes. analystView includes an Express option that attempts to optimize a process by applying the least-used resources to the activity with the longest waiting time.

• Can I create custom reports?

  You can create customized reports. Refer to the analystView help text and User Guide for additional information and instructions.

• How can I break down results by the type of work being processed?

  To divide simulation results into categories by type of work, click the General button on the Simulation tab, then click the Simulation Statistics tab and use the Breakdown on field dropdown list.

• How can I share my models, simulation results, and optimization scenarios with others?

  Visio models can be stored, with security and version controls, in a process repository available in SharePoint 2010. Simulation configurations are stored along with the models in the SharePoint process repository. By storing the models in a central location, business analysts and others can share Visio models easily, allowing for improved discussions on process maps, simulation results, process configurations, etc.

  For people who do not have Visio 2010, SharePoint 2010's Visio Services will allow them to view simulation configuration information and process maps that are stored in the SharePoint repository.

• How do I compare “as is” and “to be” simulation scenarios side-by-side?

  After running an optimization scenario for a proposed "to be" process, click the Optimization tab in the Simulation Results window. analystView will show the "to be" optimization results next to the results of the previous simulation run for easy comparison.

• How do I view the results?

  When you click the Run button to execute a simulation, the analystView Execution and Simulation Results windows open automatically. These windows display both in-progress information and simulation results.

  Also, during and after a simulation run, each activity on the process map shows the number of work packages that arrived and the number that were processed successfully.

  You can click the Reports button on the Simulation tab to view simulation results in a format that can be saved and printed.

• Is there a statistical summary of the results?

  Yes. The Simulation Results window displays a variety of simulation statistics. You can also click the Reports button on the Simulation tab to view simulation statistics.

• Once I’ve seen the results can I optimize my process?

  Yes. You can let analystView optimize your process for you by using the Express optimization option, or you can manually select portions of the process for optimization. Click the Optimize button on the Simulation ribbon and follow the steps in the wizard.

• What reports are available?

  analystView includes three predefined reports: the Process Report, Simulation Results Report and Simulation Setup Report. Click the Reports button on the Simulation tab to run reports.

• When a model has been completed and optimized, can it be automated in a business process management suite?

  Yes. You can export a process definition to an XPDL 2.0 file. The file can then be imported into an enterprise-class Business Process Management suite for automation. For example, Global 360's BPM Suite includes a component named designerView that can accept XPDL files from Visio/analystView. To learn more about the Process360 BPMS and its designerView component, please visit: www.global360.com/solutions/solution/microsoft-based-solutions/.

  Please note that XPDL import/export is not part of Visio Premium 2010, but it is available as part of the analystView add-in.