H-ACD: hierarchical activity cycle diagrams for object-oriented simulation modelling

This paper describes a graphical representation formalism, hierarchical activity cycle diagrams (H-ACD). H-ACDs are based on more abstract modelling concepts formulated in Pooley´s extended activity cycle diagrams. The abstraction mechanism expressed more loosely in his ideas of configuration diagrams has been realised to its full extent to create a detailed graphical representation form to be used for object-oriented modelling and design of simulation programs. The diagrams are currently been used as the basis for a graphical user interface to support automatic program generation of simulation models for manufacturing systems applications. The diagrams nevertheless can be used generally as a tool to assist analysis and design of simulation systems, enabling a hierarchical, modular and uniform view throughout the whole model development process of a wide range of discrete event simulation programs.