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The purpose of this paper is to provide a method for analysing and improving the operational performance of business processes (BPs).

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.

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.

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.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a generic framework for hybrid (integrated deployment of system dynamics and discrete event simulation) simulation which can be applied in the healthcare domain.

As hybrid simulation in an organisational context is a new topic with limited available data on deployment of hybrid simulation in organisational context, an inductive approach has been applied. On the basis of knowledge induced from literature, a generic conceptual framework for hybrid simulation has been developed. The proposed framework is demonstrated using an explanatory case study comprising an accident and emergency (A&E) department.

The framework provided detailed guidance for the development of a hybrid model of an A&E case study. Findings of this case study suggest that the hybrid model was more efficient in capturing behavioural impact on operational performances.

The framework is limited to only SD and DES; as agent‐based is another simulation method which is emerging as a promising tool for analysing problems such as spread of infectious diseases in healthcare context, inclusion of this into the framework will enhance the utility of the framework.

This framework will aid in the development of hybrid models capable of comprehending both detail as well as dynamic complexity, which will contribute towards a deeper understanding of the problems, resulting in more effective decision making.

It is expected that this research will encourage those engaged in simulation (e.g. researchers, practitioners, decision makers) to realise the potential of cross‐fertilisation of the two simulation paradigms.

Currently, there is no conceptual framework which provides guidance for developing hybrid models. In order to address this gap, this paper contributes by proposing a conceptual framework for hybrid simulation for the healthcare domain.

This chapter presents a framework which is accessible to port authorities to assess the potential environmental impact of maritime operations. Pursuant on globalisation, increased numbers of ship movements have generated more frequent routine maritime operations in ports but few formal approaches exist for assessing their environmental impact, which potentially could be significant. In a novel framing of environmental assessment a business process modelling technique is deployed in a systems approach which highlights inputs, service processes and outputs. In an initial focus, primary processes at strategic level are defined which affect the environmental assessment of present and future operations and their potential impacts. Later, tactical service processes define the integrity of processes that guarantee service level and quality. Finally, outputs are defined by operational processes. The contribution of applying the systems approach to plan more sustainable maritime operations is assessed in a case study of Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC) which regulates much of Falmouth Harbour and hosts the UK's largest offshore marine bunkering operation. Following EU designation of a North Sea Sulfur Oxide Emissions Control Areas (SECA) Falmouth recently recorded a significant rise in the number of vessels calling, and volume of fuel sold as more passing vessels take onboard low-sulfur fuel. The systems approach which empowers FHC to mitigate potential risks and assess development proposals proactively is easily transferable to other ports.

Accident and emergency (A&E) departments experience a secondary peak in patient length of stay (LoS) at around four hours, caused by the coping strategies used to meet the operational standards imposed by government. The aim of this paper is to build a discrete‐event simulation model that captures the coping strategies and more accurately reflects the processes that occur within an A&E department.

A discrete‐event simulation (DES) model was used to capture the A&E process at a UK hospital and record the LoS for each patient. Input data on 4,150 arrivals over three one‐week periods and staffing levels was obtained from hospital records, while output data were compared with the corresponding records. Expert opinion was used to generate the pathways and model the decision‐making processes.

The authors were able to replicate accurately the LoS distribution for the hospital. The model was then applied to a second configuration that had been trialled there; again, the results also reflected the experiences of the hospital.

This demonstrates that the coping strategies, such as re‐prioritising patients based on current length of time in the department, employed in A&E departments have an impact on LoS of patients and therefore need to be considered when building predictive models if confidence in the results is to be justified.

As far as the authors are aware this is the first time that these coping strategies have been included within a simulation model, and therefore the first time that the peak around the four hours has been analysed so accurately using a model.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the data profile of manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with specific emphasis on understanding the data readiness of SMEs for discrete event simulation (DES) modelling.

Research was conducted through a review of literature and a survey research strategy of manufacturing SMEs.

This paper illustrates the data profile of manufacturing SMEs. Insight is provided on the types of data collected by SMEs, the collection methods used and how these data are stored by the SMEs. Additionally size and age effects are considered. Based on this data profile, conclusions are made regarding an indication of data readiness of manufacturing SMEs for DES modelling.

This research is focused specifically on manufacturing SMEs in Ireland, other countries and sectors are not investigated.

This paper provides owner-managers and senior management insight into the data profile of manufacturing SMEs and their potential for utilisation of DES for performance improvement and decision support.

This paper addresses the gaps that exist in the knowledge of the data profile of manufacturing SMEs and consequently the status of this profile with regard to the readiness of SMEs for DES modelling.

Considerable amount of purchases in business-to-business (B2B) markets make through the tendering process. As technology keeps driving B2B procurement, both the supplier/contractor and buyer firms have settled down in their respective roles in the electronic-tendering environment. Researchers have ignored the supplier-side e-tender-driven marketing process that might lead to substantively successful financial performance. The purpose of this study is to improve the performance of an e-tender-driven marketing process of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) incorporating the stakeholder's inputs.

Discrete event simulation modelling (DESM) has been used as a methodology to model, analyse and improve the process with the involvement of stakeholders at every stage of the study. Different scenarios are analysed to identify the near-optimal scenario based on agreed-upon key performance indicators.

Scenario that incorporated man-power sharing and eliminating avoidable activities gives the near-optimal solution for implementation.

This study highlights that better insights can be gained by adopting the process-oriented view of the marketing–operations interface. Embracing a stakeholder-based consultative approach gives research a more practical outlook and reduces the gap between theory and practice. Suggestions for further research are provided.

B2B organizations, where lines between marketing and operations are blurred, can improve their marketing processes by implementing operations research tools.

This study provides an attempt to improve the performance of a supplier-side e-tender-driven marketing process of an OEM using the DESM methodology incorporating stakeholder's inputs.

This work aims to integrate the concepts generated by a systematic literature review on patient flows in emergency departments (ED) to serve as a basis for developing a generic process model for ED.

A systematic literature review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines, considering Lean Healthcare interventions describing ED patients’ flows. The initial search found 141 articles and 18 were included in the systematic analysis. The literature analysis served as the basis for developing a generic process model for ED.

ED processes have been represented using different notations, such as value stream mapping and workflows. The main alternatives for starting events are arrival by ambulance or walk-in. The Manchester Triage Scale (MTS) was the most common protocol referred to in the literature. The most common end events are admission to a hospital, transfer to other facilities or admission to an ambulatory care system. The literature analysis allowed the development of a generic process model for emergency departments. Nevertheless, considering that several factors influence the process of an emergency department, such as pathologies, infrastructure, available teams and local regulations, modelling alternatives and challenges in each step of the process should be analysed according to the local context.

A generic business process model was developed using BPMN that can be used by practitioners and researchers to reduce the effort in the initial stages of design or improvement projects. Moreover, it’s a first step toward the development of generalizable and replicable solutions for emergency departments.

This study aims to evaluate home-hospital implications for facility management (FM) and, in particular, ED crowding. Home-hospital programs, in which select patients receive hospital-level care at home, can extend hospital facility capacity. Emergency department (ED) crowding, a sensitive hospital capacity indicator, is associated with unsafe operations and reduced quality of care.

The impact of a home-hospital program on crowding was analyzed with a discrete-event simulation model using one month of historical data from a case hospital. Time ED patients waited for inpatient beds was the primary endpoint. Five scenarios with different levels of patient suitability for home-hospital were each run 30 times. Differences were evaluated using paired t-tests.

Implementing home-hospital reduced ED crowding by up to 3 per cent. Additionally, the simulation yielded insights regarding advantages and limitations of various home-hospital arrangements, suggested which hospital types may be the best candidates for home-hospital and highlighted the role of bed-cleaning turnaround times and environmental services staffing schedules in operations.

This research examined home-hospital and crowding at one hospital. Developing a model that accounts for all hospital types requires significant data and many hospital partnerships but could allow for more informed decisions regarding implementation of such programs.

This research has implications for ensuring access to ED care, an important source of acute care generally and particularly for the underserved.

This research systematically evaluates home-hospital’s impact on ED crowding. Simulation modeling resulted in analytical results and allowed for evaluation of what-if scenarios providing recommendations for hospital FMs on their role in decreasing ED boarding.

The purpose of this paper is to consider a number of issues around the poor adoption of healthcare simulation models and reflect whether there has been a broad failure of academic healthcare simulation modellers to build models that reflect real healthcare problems as acknowledged by healthcare stakeholders. This paper will also review the role of healthcare planners within the health sector and propose that they are well suited to act as change agents to improve the adoption of simulation within the sector.

This paper reviewed academic evidence around poor adoption of simulation modelling in healthcare, including differences to other sectors, its size and complexity, stakeholder issues and current and future challenges to improve operational efficiency. This paper also reviewed the role of healthcare planning and its valuable links with health stakeholders, suggesting that these links could be exploited to increase simulation modelling within the healthcare sector to improve operational efficiency.

This paper highlights the strong links between healthcare planning and the healthcare stakeholders and proposes that healthcare planning can play a key role in adoption of healthcare simulation modelling to achieve operational efficiency improvements.

This paper illustrates the potential link between healthcare planning and healthcare stakeholders to achieve operational improvements within the health sector.