A business process re-engineering approach to transform business process simulation to BPMN model

Area of Science:

• Software Engineering
• Business Process Management
• Simulation Modeling

Background:

• Software reverse engineering and reengineering are increasingly vital in game and website development.
• Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is crucial for visualizing business processes, while simulation aids in evaluating process changes.
• A significant challenge exists in converting discrete event simulation models (e.g., from Simul8) into BPMN for business process simulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a framework for converting simulation models to BPMN using reverse engineering principles.
• To understand the conversion process from BPMN to simulation models.
• To re-engineer simulation models into BPMN for enhanced business process analysis.

Main Methods:

• A novel framework comprising model translation, mapping, and formation was developed.
• The framework was implemented using Simul8 and BPSimulator for model building.
• Two case studies, a bank and product manufacturing, were used for testing the framework.

Main Results:

• The framework successfully generated BPMN models from simulation models.
• The conversion process was significantly faster, achieved with a single click.
• Time and resources were saved in developing BPMN models for simulation testing.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework effectively converts simulation models to BPMN, addressing a key challenge in the field.
• This automated approach accelerates the business process re-engineering lifecycle.
• The method offers a valuable tool for understanding and optimizing business processes through simulation and modeling.