Combining modelling and simulation approaches: How to measure performance of business processes
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a method for analysing and improving the operational performance of business processes (BPs).
Design/methodology/approach
The method employs two standards, Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN 2.0) and Business Processes Simulation (BPSim 1.0), to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) of BPs and test for potential improvements. The BP is first modelled in BPMN 2.0. Operational performance can then be measured using BPSim 1.0. The process simulation also enables execution of reliable “what-if” analysis, allowing improvements of the actual processes under study. To confirm the validity of the method the authors provide an application to the healthcare domain, in which the authors conduct several simulation experiments. The case study examines a standardised patient arrival and treatment process in an orthopaedic-emergency room of a public hospital.
Findings
The method permits detection of process criticalities, as well as identifying the best corrective actions by means of the “what-if” analysis. The paper discusses both management and research implications of the method.
Originality/value
The study responds to current calls for holistic and sustainable approaches to business process management (BPM). It provides step-by-step process modelling and simulation that serve as a “virtual laboratory” to test potential improvements and verify their impact on operational performance, without the risk of error that would be involved in ex-novo simulation programming.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the anonymous hospital and its staff for their patience and generosity in providing the case study information.
Citation
Bisogno, S., Calabrese, A., Gastaldi, M. and Levialdi Ghiron, N. (2016), "Combining modelling and simulation approaches: How to measure performance of business processes", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 56-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-02-2015-0021
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited