E.4 Simulation with SimQuick Software
1) Which of the following statements about SimQuick is true?
A) SimQuick requires some knowledge of programming languages, such as VISUAL BASIC or C++.
B) SimQuick can be used to simulate the flow of materials, but cannot be used to study the process flows
that involve people or information.
C) SimQuick is an easy-to-use package that is simply an Excel spreadsheet with some macros.
D) The primary disadvantage of SimQuick is that it is more costly and more difficult to set up when
compared to other models, such as SIMPROCESS and ProModel.
2) SimQuick can be used to simulate all of the following except:
A) a call center with completely random call arrivals and processing times.
B) a hospital emergency room with arrivals that vary during different time periods throughout the day.
C) a manufacturing process with a constant arrival rate (e.g., every 2 minutes) at one of the process steps.
D) the hiring of production workers, based on skill requirements throughout the year.
Scenario E.1
SimQuick is being used to simulate the following bank process:
Customer arrivals at the Entrance Door of the bank with an average time between arrivals of 2.5 minutes.
The Line Buffer holds 6 customers. If a customer arrives and the buffer line is filled, the customer leaves.
The Work Station Teller’s processing time per customer is normally distributed, with a mean of 3.0
minutes and a standard deviation of 0.5 minutes. The Served Customer Buffer in the flow chart is used to
count the number of customers processed during the period simulated. A 2-hour period was simulated.
The SimQuick simulation is run, and the results are as follows:
Element Types
Element Names
Statistics
Overall
Means
Entrance
Door
Objects entering
process
41.80
Objects unable to enter
6.23
Service level
0.87
Buffer
Line
Objects leaving
37.83
Final inventory
3.98
Minimum inventory
0.00
Maximum inventory
5.85
Mean inventory
3.08
Mean time in buffer
9.75
Work Station
Teller
Work cycles started
37.83
Fraction time working
0.94
Buffer
Served
Customers
Final inventory
36.85
3) Use the information in Scenario E.1. Approximately how many total customers arrived during the 2–
hour period simulated?
A) 42
B) 38
C) 44
D) 48
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4) Use the information in Scenario E.1. Approximately what percentage of total customers who arrived
during the 2-hour period found the buffer full and were not able to enter?
A) 87%
B) 13%
C) 94%
D) 6%
5) Use the information in Scenario E.1. Approximately how much time did the average customer who
entered the system spend waiting in line?
A) 9.75 minutes
B) 3.08 minutes
C) 5.85 minutes
D) 3.98 minutes
6) Use the information in Scenario E.1. On average, approximately how many customers were waiting in
line during the 2-hour simulation period?
A) 5
B) 4
C) 3
D) 2
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7) The arrival of customers at a lemonade stand is modeled in SimQuick using a(n):
A) entrance block.
B) buffer block.
C) workstation block.
D) decision point.
8) A patient’s interminable wait for the first available physician is modeled in SimQuick using a(n):
A) entrance block.
B) buffer block.
C) workstation block.
D) decision point.
9) SimQuick is to be used to simulate the following bank process:
Customers arrive at the Entrance Door of the bank with an average time between arrivals of 2.5 minutes.
The Line Buffer holds 6 customers. If a customer arrives and the buffer line is filled, the customer leaves.
The Work Station Teller’s processing time per customer is normally distributed, with a mean of 3.0
minutes and a standard deviation of 0.5 minutes. The Served Customer Buffer in the flowchart is used to
count the number of customers processed during the simulation period. A 2-hour period is to be
simulated and the simulation should be repeated 30 times. Determine:
a) The number of customers served during the 2-hour period;
b) The percentage of customers who arrived at the bank and left because the buffer line was full;
c) The utilization of the teller (% of time working) during the 2-hour period;
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Answer: The Model View of the completed elements for the simulation is shown below, followed by the
results of the simulation.
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10) Refer to the bank process model. The Marketing Department for the bank has decided to run a special
promotion for new customers that will increase the number of customers arriving at the bank. The new
arrival rate is expected to be an average time between arrivals of 2.0 minutes instead of the current
average time between arrivals of 2.5 minutes. With the potential increase in business, the bank manager is
concerned about the number of customers who will arrive and leave because the line is full (with 6
customers) and the average wait time in line at the bank. All other parameters of the model remain the
same. Using SimQuick, estimate the new arrive and immediately leave rate and average time in line.
Should the manager be concerned?
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Answer: In the SimQuick model used for the bank process model, the Entrance Door Time Between
Arrivals is revised to an average time between arrivals of 2.0 minutes and the model is run again:
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11) Refer to the bank process model. The bank’s process improvement group has developed a number of
process and technology changes that will improve the Teller’s process rate per customer from a mean of
3.0 minutes to 2.5 minutes (standard deviation remains at 0.5 minutes). The Bank Manager wants to
determine if the improved process rate, along with the special promotion for new customers, will allow
the “arrive and immediately leave” rate and average customer wait time in line achieved to still be met
(12% balk rate, 9.95 minutes in line). If so, the manager will implement the process and technology
changes and allow the special promotion to proceed. Using SimQuick, estimate the new arrive and
immediately leave rate and average time in line. What decision should the manager make?
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Answer: In the SimQuick model used for the bank process model, the Entrance Door Time Between
Arrivals is revised to an average time between arrivals of 2.0 minutes and the Work Station Teller’s
Working Time is revised to a process time that has a normal distribution, with a mean of 2.5 minutes and
a standard deviation of 0.5 minutes. All other parameters remain the same, and the model is run again
(an abbreviated results summary is shown):
Results show an Entrance Door service level of approximately 88%; therefore, the arrive and immediately
leave rate has decreased to approximately 12%, the same “balk” rate as in the original bank process
formulation.
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12) Big Bills McGee does not carry any paper money in his wallet that has a denomination less than $10,
preferring to have a ready supply of $10, $20, $50, and $100 denominations at all times. He is concerned
about pickpockets and has an amusing anecdote about thwarting a pickpocket on the Athens subway he
likes to tell. His business associate conducts a Monte Carlo simulation for Big Bills using POM for
interpretation for Big Bills pickpocket scenario.
Answer: The four denominations of bills are shown in the column labeled Value and the relative
frequency with which they occur appears in the column labeled Frequency. The modeler knew that 10%