Title: Brahms: a multi-agent modelling environment for simulating work processes and practices

Authors: Maarten Sierhuis, William J. Clancey, Ron J.J. Van Hoof

Addresses: Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA. ' Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA. ' QSS Group, Inc., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA

Abstract: Modelling and simulating work processes is often done at such an abstract level that individual work practice – collaboration, communication, |off-task| behaviours, multi-tasking, interrupted and resumed activities, informal interactions, use of tools and movements – is left out, making the description of how the work in an organisation actually gets done impossible. This paper describes the Brahms modelling and simulation environment, developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The Brahms modelling language is geared towards modelling people|s activity behaviour, making it an ideal environment for simulating organisational processes at a level that allows the analysis of the work practice and designing new work processes at the implementation level.

Keywords: multi-agent systems; agent-based systems; Brahms modelling language; simulation; work practice; business process modelling; activity behaviour; work processes.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPM.2007.015238

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, 2007 Vol.3 No.3, pp.134 - 152

Published online: 28 Sep 2007 *

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