WebSphere Lombardi Edition 7.2 > Modeling processes > Advanced modeling tasks
Use the critical path sample process
WebSphere Lombardi Edition includes a sample process that you can import and configure to enable Process Portal users to experiment with critical path analysis features. You can find the process application that includes the sample BPD in the following directory:
Lombardi_home/imports/critical-path-sample.twx
Import this process application
After import, you can open the sample BPD:
- From Lombardi Process Center Console, click the Open in Designer option for the Critical Path Sample process application.
- Click Processes and then double-click the Marketing Tie-In process to open it.
- If not already open, click the Diagram tab in Lombardi Authoring Enviornment to view the process diagram.
Use the Expose to start setting to enable particular users to run the sample BPD and experiment with critical path analysis features.
The Marketing Tie-In process definition contains three milestones for rolling out a product marketing plan:
- Pre Release
- Release Week
- Post Release
Each of these milestones contains one or more activities that must be completed in order to achieve the overall goal of the process. As you can see in the process diagram, there are several routes, or paths, that can be used to complete the process, and the time needed to work through each path depends on how long it takes users to perform each activity along the path. Generally, the critical path is the route that takes the most time to complete. The time required to complete each path is calculated using the durations of the activities in the path. The critical path analysis identifies different paths in a process and determines how long it will take to complete the process instance using the following projections:
Projected path Description Optimistic The shortest path a process can take from the current location to the end Pessimistic The longest path (excluding loops) a process can take from the current location to the end Historical The most likely path a process would take based on historical data calculated from the current location The Marketing Tie-In process diagram contains the following critical paths:
- Pessimistic path: This path begins with the Determine Cross-Promotion Plan activity and then flows through the Complex Plan? decision gateway, the Prepare Materials activity, and the Plan Post-Mortem activity.
- Optimistic path: This path also begins with the Determine Cross-Promotion Plan activity and then flows through the Complex Plan? decision gateway. But then it takes a different route through the Notify Branches activity and then the split, followed by the Analyze Demand Impact activity, the Implement Simple National Plan activity, the Roll Back Prices (Always) activity, the join and then the Plan Post-Mortem activity.
It is important to note that when the projected path is calculated, the overall duration (the time required to get to the end of the running process from the current location) is the most important factor. The optimistic path is not necessarily the path with the fewest activities, and the pessimistic path is not necessarily the path with the most activities.
Parent topic: Advanced modeling tasks