Automatic Simulation of Human-based Processes

Abstract

Automatic simulations of business processes are able to provide various performance indicators that can be used for validating and improving the process and better planning of future projects based on the simulated process. This thesis describes one of the semi-formal methods used for business process modelling, simulation and enactment called the BPM Method, formalizes the behavioural model of this method and extends it with stochastic properties and mechanics that are needed to perform automatic simulation experiments. These extensions also simulate the availability and utilization of human resources in the process which can be used in identifying lack or abundance of workers in the process and thus help to lower waiting times for unavailable resources and achieve ideal utilization of resources. But every human resource is unique and has specific skills, behaviour and competencies that he uses to do his job and this influences his suitability to perform specific activities and also productivity of the resource when performing these activities. A method for evaluating human resources in the process is presented and used to allocate resources to their appropriate activities based on their competencies. Several allocation strategies, that benefit from the productivity evaluation, are considered for this allocation and their results are compared. Aside from allocating resources during automatic simulations, the proposed method can also be used for suggesting training topics for workers in the organization or to provide a specification for the hiring process.