Simulating Process Trees Using Discrete-Event Simulation

Abstract

The Process Tree notation is an emerging language for modeling block-structured processes. A Process Tree is inherently sound and therefore proves to be the ideal input of a simulator as it can never deadlock. However, most business process simulation tools require a translation to Petri Nets. This technical paper proposes a simulation tool for Process Trees based on the principles of discrete-event simulation (DES) that accepts a Process Tree as input. The proposed implementation benefits from the extensive work that has already been done on DES, including software packages to execute DES simulation. The simulation algorithms and implementations are free to download and use.