What is Business Process Modeling?
Computer based Business Process Modeling and Business Process Improvement is the use of process simulation software to mimic real world systems in order to validate decisions affecting systems and identify business process improvements. Visual8′s business process modeling and process simulation services provide decision-makers and clients with the equivalent of a ‘flight simulator’ of their particular factory, warehouse, hospital, supply-chain or other operation.
By using computer code to represent every significant resource and event in a business process or system and displaying images that move within it in ‘simulated time’, users can try out different ways of operating the system without having to experiment with the real process. Thus identifying potential business process improvement opportunities without any financial risk.
Why Use Business Process Modeling for Business Process Improvement?
One of the advantages of business process modeling for business process improvement is it’s ability to represent the way things happen in the real word. Many operational and/or business processes contain elements which are Dynamic, meaning they change over time, or Stochastic, having variability.
Unlike static spreadsheet or flowchart based models, which can only provide a snapshot of a system, the use of business process modeling to assist in business process improvement allows you to see the dynamics of your process played out over time. The impact of a steady stream of customers, patients or products on your process is easy to see using static-type process models. However, if these rates continually change, it becomes much more difficult to understand and model their effects using conventional means. Modeling a process over time using process simulation instantly makes this kind of complexity understandable.
Kroger required a model to investigate methods for efficiently handling customer check-outs at the front of its stores.
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Vale INCO wished to model converter aisles with the goal of increasing their daily production output.
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Xstrata needed to model mining processes in order to extend operations beyond their current levels.
Learn MoreBusiness Process Modeling also provides the capability to include variability inherent in many systems. For example, a manual process step may be designed to take 5 minutes, but in practice it can vary considerably. Process Simulation allows you to emulate this variability by using a stream of random numbers and statistical distribution to generate events that closely mimic the different individual processing times. Other variable operational elements such as arrival rates, equipment efficiency and resource availability, can also be captured in this way.
The Benefits of Process Simulation
The Benefits of business process modeling or process simulation of your operations is advantageous in many ways. A few of the many benefits of business process modeling and process simulation include:
- Map out and understand complex systems
- Test out Capital Investment ideas before you implement them
- ‘Sell’ your process improvement ideas to others
- Quickly identify operation bottlenecks and inefficiencies
- Visualize Business Process Improvement opportunities