APEX - a Petri net process modeling tool built on a discrete-event simulation system

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:501613

Gish, J W ^[1]

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1. GTE Labs. Inc., Waltham, MA (United States)

APEX, the Animated Process Experimentation tool, provides a capability for defining, simulating and animating process models. Primarily constructed for the modeling and analysis of software process models, we have found that APEX is much more broadly applicable and is suitable for process modeling tasks outside the domain of software processes. APEX has been constructed as a library of simulation blocks that implement timed hierarchical colored Petri Nets. These Petri Net blocks operate in conjunction with EXTEND, a general purpose continuous and discrete-event simulation tool. EXTEND provides a flexible, powerful and extensible environment with features particularly suitable for the modeling of complex processes. APEX`s Petri Net block additions to EXTEND provide an inexpensive capability with well-defined and easily understood semantics that is a powerful, easy to use, flexible means to engage in process modeling and evaluation. The vast majority of software process research has focused on the enactment of software processes. Little has been said about the actual creation and evaluation of software process models necessary to support enactment. APEX has been built by the Software Engineering Process Technology Project at GTE Laboratories which has been focusing on this neglected area of process model definition and analysis. We have constructed high-level software lifecycle models, a set of models that demonstrate differences between four levels of the SEI Capability Maturity Model (CMM), customer care process models, as well as models involving more traditional synchronization and coordination problems such as producer-consumer and 2-phase commit. APEX offers a unique blend of technology from two different disciplines: discrete-event simulation and Petri Net modeling. Petri Nets provide a well-defined and rich semantics in a simple, easy to understand notation. The simulation framework allows for execution, animation, and measurement of the resultant models.

• OSTI ID: 501613
• Report Number(s): CONF-961239--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
COMPUTER CODES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
NETWORK ANALYSIS
PROCESS CONTROL
PROGRAMMING