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Towards fully-facilitated discrete event simulation modelling: Addressing the model coding stage

Towards fully-facilitated discrete event simulation modelling: Addressing the model coding stage
Towards fully-facilitated discrete event simulation modelling: Addressing the model coding stage
The literature suggests that increasing stakeholder engagement has a positive impact on projects using discrete-event simulation in healthcare. This suggests projects should strive to involve the stakeholders in as much of the project as possible, through facilitated workshops. A notable gap in stakeholder involvement is the model coding stage, in which a conceptual model is turned into a discrete-event simulation model running on a computer. This paper investigates how and under what circumstances model coding might also be conducted in facilitated workshops, in particular through the use of the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) modelling standard. This work arose from a series of modelling projects with two hospitals, one in Italy and the other in the UK. The paper describes how BPMN can contribute, with a case in which model coding was achieved in a facilitated workshop and a second in which it was not but which highlights further barriers to this in some contexts. These barriers arise from the detail necessary for requisite modelling regarding i) the level of complexity of the model and ii) challenges in data access and analysis to populate the model. The relationship between the technical capabilities of tools available and the impact of these barriers is also discussed. We believe this is the first time that discrete-event simulation model coding in a facilitated workshop in healthcare has been described, and we provide a clear view of the further barriers. To indicate when facilitated model coding is currently achievable, we suggest a contextual matrix.
OR in health services, Simulation, Facilitated modelling, BPMN
0377-2217
583-595
Proudlove, Nathan
342d341a-3c1b-4aba-af79-b313a914b21d
Bisogno, Stefania
3560cb85-b31c-4b67-a853-486c14ddea62
Onggo, B.S.S.
8e9a2ea5-140a-44c0-9c17-e9cf93662f80
Calabrese, Armando
e5c5e89d-d717-4036-90c7-087b05e370d6
Levialdi Ghiron, Nathan
815f0fa0-0acf-459e-9b1f-dbdf6c4f2e15
Proudlove, Nathan
342d341a-3c1b-4aba-af79-b313a914b21d
Bisogno, Stefania
3560cb85-b31c-4b67-a853-486c14ddea62
Onggo, B.S.S.
8e9a2ea5-140a-44c0-9c17-e9cf93662f80
Calabrese, Armando
e5c5e89d-d717-4036-90c7-087b05e370d6
Levialdi Ghiron, Nathan
815f0fa0-0acf-459e-9b1f-dbdf6c4f2e15

Proudlove, Nathan, Bisogno, Stefania, Onggo, B.S.S., Calabrese, Armando and Levialdi Ghiron, Nathan (2017) Towards fully-facilitated discrete event simulation modelling: Addressing the model coding stage. European Journal of Operational Research, 263 (2), 583-595. (doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2017.06.002).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The literature suggests that increasing stakeholder engagement has a positive impact on projects using discrete-event simulation in healthcare. This suggests projects should strive to involve the stakeholders in as much of the project as possible, through facilitated workshops. A notable gap in stakeholder involvement is the model coding stage, in which a conceptual model is turned into a discrete-event simulation model running on a computer. This paper investigates how and under what circumstances model coding might also be conducted in facilitated workshops, in particular through the use of the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) modelling standard. This work arose from a series of modelling projects with two hospitals, one in Italy and the other in the UK. The paper describes how BPMN can contribute, with a case in which model coding was achieved in a facilitated workshop and a second in which it was not but which highlights further barriers to this in some contexts. These barriers arise from the detail necessary for requisite modelling regarding i) the level of complexity of the model and ii) challenges in data access and analysis to populate the model. The relationship between the technical capabilities of tools available and the impact of these barriers is also discussed. We believe this is the first time that discrete-event simulation model coding in a facilitated workshop in healthcare has been described, and we provide a clear view of the further barriers. To indicate when facilitated model coding is currently achievable, we suggest a contextual matrix.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 1 June 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 June 2017
Published date: 1 December 2017
Additional Information: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in European Journal of Operational Research. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in European Journal of Operational Research, 263, 2, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2017.06.002
Keywords: OR in health services, Simulation, Facilitated modelling, BPMN

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 425085
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/425085
ISSN: 0377-2217
PURE UUID: 9c5ea310-4247-4562-b159-cfd1268e7761
ORCID for B.S.S. Onggo: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5899-304X

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Date deposited: 10 Oct 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:38

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Contributors

Author: Nathan Proudlove
Author: Stefania Bisogno
Author: B.S.S. Onggo ORCID iD
Author: Armando Calabrese
Author: Nathan Levialdi Ghiron

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