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Introduction of Government Process Modeling With Rockwell Arena Software Figure 1. Model showing the most commonly used Arena modules with students in the lab and in his office. The first two lab assignments were intended to help students learn how to use the software and to understand the meaning of the various “modules” it generates. (See Figure 1.) As shown in Figure 1, an entire process is composed of multiple (sub) processes that are represented in Arena by labeled rectangles. Sub-processes also can be referred to as Activities. A Create module is used to introduce entities (instances of work to be done) either on a schedule or at time intervals, based on an exponential distribution. In Figure 1, each new entity passes through an Assign module, where it can be given attribute values. For example, if the model represents a process within a hospital’s emergency room, the entities entering the process are patients, and each patient can be assigned a gender, an age, and a severity of medical need by use of the Assign module. The Process 1 module in Figure 1 may represent some kind of necessary admissions activity, followed by a decision to be made about each entity as it flows through the system. Some of the entities flow out the “True” branch of the Decide module. All others flow out the “False” branch of the Decide module. Each entity receives some additional attention, as represented by the Process 2 and Process 3 modules in Figure 1. Finally, every entity must eventually exit the system via a Dispose module. The first lab assignment included specific instructions on how to place modules on the screen and how to create pathways between them. The intent was for students to learn to start using the software and to understand the most basic Arena modules. (See Figure 2.) The intent of the second lab assignment was for students to learn how to set parameters within the modules of a process model. When one double-clicks on a module in an Arena model, a dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 2. The use of dialog boxes eliminates the need for designers to write instructions as lines of programming code. In Figure 2, Process 1 is being made into an action that requires “seizing” the full attention of a clerk for at least a half-hour, and then “releasing” the resource (a clerk) to be available for servicing another entity. The time required for one clerk to perform Process 1 for a particular entity is a triangular distribution, where the minimum required time is 30 minutes, the maximum required time is 90 minutes, and the most likely required time is 60 minutes. 388 Journal of Public Affairs Education
Introduction of Government Process Modeling With Rockwell Arena Software It is the variation in arrivals of new entities and variation in time required to perform (sub) processes that make Arena models probabilistic, rather than deterministic. Often it is variation that produces bottlenecks in processes, and results in reduced service quality and increased costs. A bottleneck is the place in an entire process where entities must wait to be serviced, because the capacity of a limited resource is exceeded. Identifying bottlenecks is an important step in improving services by reducing the average total processing time. The second lab assignment included specific instructions on how to open dialog boxes and set parameters. In a Decide module, for example, the choice determining the path of an entity can be based on either probability or conditions. Using the hospital scenario, perhaps the choice is whether or not the patient requires immediate medical care. The model could be programmed to randomly cause 30 percent of entities to require immediate attention, or the Figure 2. Dialog box associated with a (sub) process module Journal of Public Affairs Education 389
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EDITOR’S NOTE REFERENCES Henry, N
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the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
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Public Values As a Core Element of
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