Rockwell Automation Arena Basic Edition Users Guide - Manual (Page 13)

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In the model window, there are two main regions. The flowchart view will contain all of
your model graphics, including the process flowchart, animation, and other drawing
elements. The lower, spreadsheet view displays model data, such as times, costs, and other
parameters.
As we model the mortgage application process, we’ll work in all three of these regions of
Arena.
Map your process in a flowchart
Let’s start by examining what we’re going to do: Build a flowchart. The word itself—
flowchart—suggests two of the main concepts behind modeling and simulation. We’ll be
building a chart—also referred to as a process map or a model—that describes a flow.
This raises a key question in process modeling: What exactly is it that will flow through
the chart?
We’re modeling the process of reviewing mortgage applications. These mortgage applica-
tions are the items, referred to as entities, that will move through the process steps in our
model. They are the data, whether on paper or in electronic form, that are associated with
our client’s request for a mortgage. As we build the flowchart, it’s helpful to think of the
process from the perspective of the entity (the mortgage application), asking questions like:
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Where do the mortgage applications enter the process?
„
What happens to them at each step?
„
What resources are needed to complete work?
First, we’ll draw the flowchart representing the mortgage application process. Refer to the
Mortgage Application Process Flowchart (shown previously) so you’ll know what we’ll
be creating.
Create the mortgage application entities
We’ll start the flowchart using a Create module, from the Basic Process panel. This is the
starting point for the flow of entities through the model.
1. Drag the Create module from the Basic Process panel into the model window.
A default name, Create 1, is given to the module when it’s placed. We’ll return later to
provide a more meaningful description as well as some data to support the simulation.