Innovations in Process Modeling as Applied to JFCOM Joint Experimentation Directorate Division Experiment Management Teams

摘要

In any organization, a decision to make major changes in personnel or processes must be carefully analyzed before the changes are actually implemented. Doing so helps prevent disruption of business work flow or the incurrence of unnecessary costs due to flawed decisions. It is for this purpose that the concept of a process model is used. A process model provides a simulated work environment in which proposed changes can be made and, to a certain degree, the actual effects known ahead of time. Within the Joint Forces Command Joint Experimentation Directorate (J9) division, this concept has been applied to each of the three Experiment Management Teams (EMTs). The model, built with Gensym's G2/ReThink software package, contains three separate validated process flows for each team on a shared top-level workspace, including approximate task duration, resource allocation, constraints and J9's business rules and logic unique to the organization. In this paper, the EMI model and the graphical interface developed to make the operation of the model user friendly for the person performing the analysis will be discussed. An innovative control panel has been developed that features utilities such as the creation, deletion and transfer of resources on the fly, charts to map maximum and average utilization rates, and an overview "stoplight" depiction of all tasks. Customer interaction and feedback has led to a focused effort on giving the model a readable and interactive interface that is designed to bring potential problem areas and bottlenecks to the attention of the operator through the use of pop-up windows, rather than force him to get into any more structural details than necessary. The model will allow the operator to explore detailed "what-if scenarios and to view the impact of process flow or personnel changes before they are implemented within the organization.