Towards a standard for hierarchical process oriented discrete event simulation diagrams

In Part I, the use of diagrams to specify process based discrete event models is explained. The range of approaches in use today is surveyed, with the same simple example given using several different convections. Cirteria by which the effectiveness of such approaches can be judged are suggested and the characteristics of a generally useful standard are developed. In Part II, a set of diagrams to specify process based discrete event models is explained. The approach developed is based on the informal convections of activity diagrams first used to describe models for the DEMOS package, but here extended to be applicable to most process based discrete event simulation solvers. The extensions are also made to allow complete descriptions of a much wider range of models. In Part III, a further refinement to activity diagrams allows hierarchical modelling of compound processes in terms of their constituent sub-processes or components. This is expressed in the form of configuration diagrams, which are introduced here. Their relationship to the other forms of diagram which were compared in Part I is discussed.