You can define resources independent of any process or scenario. Resources are any expendable items, but do not include personnel. Business Process Modeler supports two types of resources, namely:
Consumable resources: These are the resources that are used up during the simulation and may typically include either Services (such as electricity, gas) or Supplies (such as paper, staples). These resources are usually modeled either as a function of time or associated with an event, such as the completion of an operation.
Non Consumable resources: These are shared resources with multiple activities waiting for the same resource. These type of resources are most likely to affect system performance, as they may cause bottlenecks. An example of a non-consumable resource is machinery.
To define a new resource (consumable or non-consumable):
1. From the Processes section in the Simulation Control Editor, expand Resources to display the Consumables and NonConsumables folders.
2. Click each of the respective folders to display the Consumables or the Non Consumables table in the Properties view. This table displays the list of defined resources for this project. You can add new resources, modify existing resources, and delete resources from the respective Properties view.
3. Click Add in the respective Properties view to open the Consumable Resource dialog box, or the Non Consumable Resource dialog box.
a. For a consumable resource, enter the appropriate data in the Name, Unit, and Cost boxes. The name of the resource cannot contain any blank spaces. Data entered in the Unit box must contain only alphabetic characters.
b. For a non-consumable resource, enter the appropriate data in the Name, Availability, and Cost boxes. Enter a number in the Availability box, which indicates the quantity of the resource that can be shared.
4. Click OK to save the resource and add it to the respective table in the Properties view.
5. After you define a resource, expand the Consumables or NonConsumables folder (in the Simulation Control Editor) to view the added resources. Click the resource to view the resource properties in the Properties view.
a. From the General tab, modify (if required) the respective resource properties.
b. From the Objectives tab, add the objectives for the selected resource. For details, see the following Defining objectives section.
Alternatively, you can view the entire list of added resources in a tabular format by clicking the Resources folder in the Processes section of the Simulation Control Editor.
The Properties view displays the Consumable Resources section table (containing list of consumable resources) and Non Consumable Resources section table (containing list of non-consumable resources). You can add, modify, or delete a consumable or non-consumable resource by clicking the appropriate button.
Consumable resources: These are the resources that are used up during the simulation and may typically include either Services (such as electricity, gas) or Supplies (such as paper, staples). These resources are usually modeled either as a function of time or associated with an event, such as the completion of an operation.