Proceedings of the 1998 Winter Simulation Conference

D.J. Medeiros, E.F. Watson, J.S. Carson and M.S. Manivannan, eds.

ADVANCED USES FOR MICRO SAINT SIMULATION SOFTWARE

Catherine Drury Barnes

K. Ronald Laughery, Jr.

Micro Analysis and Design, Inc.

4900 Pearl East Circle
Boulder, Colorado 80301, USA

ABSTRACT development system, the “what if” scenarios can begin.

What if I change my resource mix? What if I rearrange the
For the past fifteen years, Micro Saint Simulation Software process? What if I change the way the humans work with
has been helping people solve their complex simulation the system? How will this affect my productivity, cycle
problems. Micro Saint’s power, flexibility, and tools for time, throughput, and workload? Now, Micro Saint can
optimization, make it the simulation tool of choice for give you the answers quickly and completely for systems
hundreds of Fortune 500 companies. of all sizes, shapes, and complexities.
This paper will focus on the new features of Micro Micro Saint’s strength has always been ease of use,
Saint 3.0, show its flexibility between industries and but we have made it even better. We continue to enhance
discuss areas of future application for simulation software. and refine our graphical user interface for model
development and testing. Plus, we have added new
1 INTRODUCTION wizards and spreadsheets that automatically set up
resources and constraints for you. This leaves you more
Micro Saint’s power, flexibility, and tools for optimization time to find the answers to your problem.
make it the simulation tool of choice for any organization. Micro Saint automatically collects data that you need
If you can draw your system as a flow chart then you can to make those tough decisions. Data on utilization, queues,
build a model of your process in Micro Saint. Micro resources, and tasks are all collected automatically so once
Saint’s intuitive graphical user interface and the power to you have run the model, you can start getting answers
model systems of any type or size make it the simulation instantly. Plus, you can customize data collection to suit
choice for Fortune 500 companies. your special needs through simple menus.
Micro Saint 3.0, a discrete-event simulation tool, is an To make the job of finding the optimal solution faster
efficient and cost-effective tool for simulating the and easier, Micro Saint has a built in optimization system.
complexities of systems within manufacturing, health care, You define what the goals of your system are, the limits on
retail, government, human factors, process redesign and the what you can do to achieve that goal, and how long you
service industry. The problems being analyzed range from want your computer to spend looking for it, and Micro
process control and resource utilization to military Saint will go hunting for the best alternative. Plus, the way
maintenance procedures and human performance. Micro Saint searches represents the latest in the state-of-
the-art in intelligent search algorithms, finding solutions
2 MICRO SAINT ANSWERS “WHAT IF’S” quickly and efficiently.
Simple models of straightforward systems can be built
Micro Saint helps you answer “what if” questions. What if quickly and easily. But, there is no limit on the size or
I increase the number of people working on the job by 10? complexity of the models that you can create. Any and all
What should I speed to decrease my cycle time by 20%? unique aspects of the system you are modeling can be
How do I ensure that customers do not have to wait 20 represented through a series of modeling tools and a built
minutes for service? What if I redefine the human’s role in in programming language.
the system through automation or a better interface? Micro Saint offers the power, flexibility, and tools to
These are just a few of the questions Micro Saint can find the best alternative in an easy to use simulation
help you answer. Micro Saint helps you find the best package.
solution to your problem. With a computer model of your
process built with Micro Saint’s intuitive model

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3 NEW FEATURES IN MICRO SAINT 3.0 Resources are a snap with the new resource wizard.
The Resource wizard can be used to quickly create a new
Micro Saint Version 3.0 has added many new features to resource variable and allocate a resource to tasks in the
make building a model and finding the best answer faster model. This leaves the user with more time to work on the
and easier. These new features include: logic of their model.
The Resource wizard can be used to quickly create a Micro Saint offers you not one but two ways to
new resource variable and allocate resources to tasks in animate your model. First the network diagram comes to
the process. Resource variables then track the current life when you run your model. Now with the choice of
number of available resources and the total number of bitmaps as well as task ovals you can make this view much
resources in a model. more realistic. The second type of animation, ActionView,
More Automatic data collection features gather data allows the user to create realistic picture quality
on resources and tasks. Every time the value of a animations. With ActionView, backgrounds can be
resource variable changes, data on the clock time, the scanned in, brought in from a CAD drawing, or paint
amount of resource in use after the change, the total packages. The user chooses from over 250 icons or
amount of resource available after the change, and the designs their own custom icons that move about on the
resource utilization after the change are collected. background to represent the process. ActionView
animation is an excellent way to present simulation model
Model Optimization enhances Micro Saint by
to a group in a quick and effective manner.
automatically searching for and finding optimal or near-
Models are constrained only by computer memory.
optimal solutions to simulation models. OptQuest
With systems currently available, our users have modeled
determines the correct combination of variables that
processes with tens of thousands of activities simulating
produce the best results possible employing state-of-the-
millions of entities flowing through a process. Micro Saint
art intelligent search algorithms.
is only limited by the power of your computer, not your
Flowcharting Symbols are now customizable on the imagination.
network diagram. You can choose from over 50 bitmaps Micro Saint models are built in a C-like programming
to customize your diagram. You can even choose environment that gives it all the power of a programming
different settings for tasks that are executing and idle. language. Anywhere in Micro Saint that you can enter a
The syntax checker searches the model for errors in numeric value, you can enter an algorithm consisting of a
syntax and automatically displays the errors. This saves sequence of algebraic and logical expressions that calculate
debugging time and effort in your model. that value. Operators include:

4 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ( ) = + - / * := = =

Users defines the flow of the process through a network of Logical operators include if…then…else, while…do.
activities through the Activity Network. In this network,
you define the activities the system must perform, and the 5 OPTIMIZATION
basic sequence of activities. Conditions that must be met
before an activity can be performed, and the effect of OptQuest enhances Micro Saint by automatically searching
activity performance on other activities and aspects of the for and finding optimal or near-optimal solutions to
process. simulation models. OptQuest determines the correct
Entities (e.g. people, patients, documents, and parts) combination of variables that produces the best results
flow through the system in many complex ways. In Micro possible for practical application.
Saint, the user can define the set of decision rules for their OptQuest for Micro Saint is a new advance that
specific process. Through Micro Saint’s own C like extends the capabilities of simulation. OptQuest replaces
language, the user defines the system’s behavior without the inaccuracy of trial-and-error with a potent search
ever leaving Micro Saint. Micro Saint logic can be engine that pinpoints the best decisions available from
redefined as the model is running, to refine the model or to simulation.
experiment with process improvements. Standard simulation packages give the user no help in
Queues are one of the most important building blocks identifying good decision alternatives to evaluate by
of discrete event simulation. Automatic queue data simulation. More importantly, they offer no guidance or
collection collects data on the maximum length of the insight into the nature of alternatives that can yield the best
queue, the minimum length of the queue and the wait outcomes.
times. By using Micro Saint’s built in tools, the user can To illustrate, the intelligent simulation user wants
perform detailed statistical analyses on the queues. answers to questions such as: What is the best investment
portfolio? What is the most effective factory layout?

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What is the safest equipment replacement policy? What is capacity for inventory was limited, indicating a need for a
the most cost effective inventory policy? What is the best JIT design. The study was limited to three weeks in length.
workforce allocation? What is the most productive In the process of building the model, the customer
operating schedule? gained an understanding of the system that showed them
The answers to such questions require intelligent many areas for potential improvement. The project did not
identification and analysis of multiple scenarios, to attempt to discover the "optimal design" for the cell rather
determine the consequences for costs, profits and risks. it only identified one of an entire family of solutions that
The critical "missing component" in standard simulation would work. More models were built in order to
packages is to disclose which decision scenarios should be simulation the other production line cells. These models
investigated -- and still more completely, to provide an allowed the customer to consider tradeoffs based on
automated process designed to find the best set of operator utilization balanced against the cost of the
decisions. equipment, operator training, and installation requirements
OptQuest for Micro Saint effectively provides these and process time. The bottom line was the manufacturer
missing functions. In addition, OptQuest enables the was able to increase production by 71% and increase profit
decision maker to specify a variety of important per unit by 142%. This resulted in an increase in the
relationships to control the determination of optimal annual profits of the company by over 400% on that single
decisions, such as: ranges of key parameters, budget production line. The company reduced costs and improved
limitations, machine capacities, minimum and maximum quality with a small investment in simulation.
lot sizes, limits on hours worked. These constraining
relationships allow the decision-maker to focus the search 7 HEALTH CARE
on the relevant considerations. OptQuest then determines
the strategic value-mixes of the decision parameters and In the health care industry, Micro Saint has been used to
decision scenarios that are investigated under its guidance - look at emergency room flow, ambulatory services,
- and, at the "bottom line," identifies scenarios that yield OBGYN units, pharmaceutical processes and patient file
the highest quality outcomes for profits, costs and risks, flow. Customers often choose health care facilities on the
according to the criteria selected by the decision maker. basis of the quality of service they receive. Every hospital
or health care organization must answer questions about
6 MANUFACTURING cost and quality. One way hospitals are able to look at cost
versus quality is by using simulation. In one instance, an
Micro Saint is used in the manufacturing industry to look Ambulatory Surgery Department, the department that cares
at throughput, cycle time, the optimal schedules and in new for patients both pre-operatively and post-operatively, had
factory layout. Large and small corporations have found run out of space. The question was to build a new facility
Micro Saint is easy to use and very flexible. This flexibility or redesign the existing space without changing the surgery
makes Micro Saint the tool to use in different departments schedule. Micro Saint was used to simulate the flow of
such as the work cell analysis and the reengineering of the patients from ambulatory surgery to surgery to recovery
accounting department. and back to ambulatory surgery. A management engineer
The new Optimization feature in Micro Saint appeals simulated the effects on many different alternatives for
to manufacturing facilities. For example, if a company is routing patients through the system and maximized the
doing a simulation of their inventory system, the reorder utilization of the facilities.
point, the order quantity and the time between inventory The hospital staff was so pleased with the
reviews are the variables that define the system. OptQuest recommendations for the ambulatory surgery facilities that
can help define the optimal inventory policy with respect to the management engineer was asked to help evaluate the
minimizing a function of total expected cost. surgery schedule on a daily basis. The changes
For example, a Fortune 100 company had a cellular recommended as a result of the simulation models allowed
manufacturing layout that they felt could be made more the hospital to increase the number of patients that can be
efficient. They were about to make substantial capital scheduled for ambulatory surgery, therefore increasing
improvements in manufacturing system equipment and profits while improving the quality of service being offered
wanted to make sure the new equipment was integrated to patients.
with the old equipment in the best possible way. The This is just one example of how Micro Saint can help
company used Micro Saint to model their manufacturing improve the patient care while reducing costs at a hospital.
system and reach their goals of finding a cellular layout
that would meet their production goals. This study 8 HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS
required a sophisticated model because the production
goals were spread across 40 different product types , and The use of simulation to analyze human factors and
ergonomics is a relatively new application of simulation.

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However, we at Micro Analysis and Design have found applications. Regardless of the application area, the results
simulation to be extremely useful in evaluating decisions are the same: better decisions can be made, money can be
such as "how many crewmembers do we need to fly an saved, productivity can be increased, and customers can
airplane?" and "what will the availability of trucks be for a receive a higher level of service.
given number of maintainers of given skill types?"
Additionally, we have developed simulation techniques to AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
answer these questions as a function of equipment design
factors. CATHERINE DRURY BARNES is the Marketing
For example, during the early design phases of the Director of Micro Analysis and Design, Inc. She has a
Army Comanche helicopter, one of the key objectives was Bachelor’s of Science in Marketing from Miami University
that the aircraft be piloted and operated entirely by one of Ohio. Currently, she is finishing her MBA at the
human. Central to that objective was the question, "Can University of Colorado at Boulder.
one person do it all?" We were called upon to examine this
issue with respect to four alternative helicopter cockpit K. RONALD LAUGHERY JR., received his Ph.D. in
designs. Specifically, the purpose of this project was to Industrial Engineering from the State University of New
determine whether a one-person cockpit design would York at Buffalo. He established Micro Analysis and Design
cause the operator's workload to reach unacceptable levels in 1981, managing contracts for the development of
during the mission. computer modeling and simulation languages, the design and
Micro Saint computer models were developed for each evaluation of training simulators, the development of
of the cockpit alternatives considered. Variables and supporting technologies for constructive and distributed
modeling constructs were included in these models to track simulations, and the development of tools for the Army
operator workload demands in the visual, auditory, MANPRINT program.
cognitive, and psychomotor aspects of the operator’s tasks.
Using these models, simulation experiments were
conducted under several experimental conditions
corresponding to different cockpit designs. For each
design, operator workload was predicted and the tasks
driving workload were identified. The advantages of each
of the alternatives were identified. The report we prepared
discussed the relative advantages and disadvantages of
each design as well as the projected technological
requirements that would be required to support a one-
person cockpit. Ultimately, we recommended that a one-
person cockpit was not feasible within the technical and
other design constraints.

9 SUMMARY

In this paper, we have focused on the Micro Saint

methodology and the underlying principles of modeling
with Micro Saint in a variety of different industries. We
have not attempted to cover all of the software features for
building models, controlling a simulation, and generating
and analyzing data. If you would like to know more,
please contact Micro Analysis and Design.
What we have shown is that Micro Saint is a powerful
tool for evaluating the dynamic aspects of systems within a
wide variety of application areas. Micro Saint's primary
strength is that it has an intuitive, graphical interface that
allows users to quickly develop models that accurately
represent their system. Users are then able to evaluate
"what if" scenarios with a variety of inputs to find the
optimal solution. Simulation technology has been used by
industrial engineers in a manufacturing context since the
1960's but only recently has it been applied to business

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