CERES :: Browsing by Author "Tiwari, Ashutosh"

Browsing by Author "Tiwari, Ashutosh"

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Open Access
A 3D immersive discrete event simulator for enabling prototyping of factory layouts
(Elsevier, 2015-10-27) Oyekan, John; Hutabarat, Windo; Turner, Christopher J.; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Prajapat, Neha; Ince, Nadir; Gan, Xiao-Peng; Waller, Tony
There is an increasing need to eliminate wasted time and money during factory layout design and subsequent construction. It is presently difficult for engineers to foresee if a certain layout is optimal for work and material flows. By exploiting modelling, simulation and visualisation techniques, this paper presents a tool concept called immersive WITNESS that combines the modelling strengths of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) with the 3D visualisation strengths of recent 3D low cost gaming technology to enable decision makers make informed design choices for future factories layouts. The tool enables engineers to receive immediate feedback on their design choices. Our results show that this tool has the potential to reduce rework as well as the associated costs of making physical prototypes.
Open Access
Adapting petri nets to DES: stochastic modelling of manufacturing systems
(D A A A M International Vienna, 2018) Simon, E.; Oyekan, John; Hutabarat, Windo; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Turner, Christopher J.
Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) is commonly used for the simulation of manufacturing systems. In many practical cases, DES practitioners have to make simplifications or to use the software in an unconventional or convoluted fashion to meet their needs. Petri nets enable the development of transparent models which conciseness are a synonym of increased flexibility and control for designers. Furthermore, Petri nets take advantage of a solid mathematical ground and constitute a simple language. However, Petri nets lack the software capabilities to realise their full potential. This study investigates the suitability and relevance of Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) software for Petri net modelling in the context of manufacturing systems. A framework is developed for the modelling of different classes of Petri nets on DES. Analytical models of asynchronous flow lines are developed. Initial results show that the analytical models are without closed-form solution and the explosion of the state space is observed, justifying the use of computational methods and simulation for the analysis of manufacturing systems. This study shows that the gain in flexibility provided by Petri nets provides a new insight into the effects of stochasticity on setup and failure times in manufacturing systems.
Open Access
Addressing real-time control problems in complex environments using dynamic multi-objective evolutionary approaches
(Cranfield University, 2011-10) Butans, Jevgenijs; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Hughes, Evan J.
The demand for increased automation of industrial processes generates control problems that are dynamic, multi-objective and noisy at the same time. The primary hypothesis underlying this research is that dynamic evolutionary methods could be used to address dynamic control problems where con icting control criteria are necessary. The aim of this research is to develop a framework for on-line optimisation of dynamic problems that is capable of a) representing problems in a quantitative way, b) identifying optimal solutions using multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, and c) automatically selecting an optimal solution among alternatives. A literature review identi es key problems in the area of dynamic multi-objective optimisation, discusses the on-line decision making aspect, analyses existing Multi- Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEA) applications and identi es research gap. Dynamic evolutionary multi-objective search and on-line a posteriori decision maker are integrated into an evolutionary multi-objective controller that uses an internal process model to evaluate the tness of solutions. Using a benchmark multi-objective optimisation problem, the MOEA ability to track the moving optima is examined with di erent parameter values, namely, length of pre-execution, frequency of change, length of prediction interval and static mutation rate. A dynamic MOEA with restricted elitism is suggested for noisy environments.To address the on-line decision making aspect of the dynamic multi-objective optimisation, a novel method for constructing game trees for real-valued multiobjective problems is presented. A novel decision making algorithm based on game trees is proposed along with a baseline random decision maker. The proposed evolutionary multi-objective controller is systematically analysed using an inverted pendulum problem and its performance is compared to Proportional{ Integral{Derivative (PID) and nonlinear Model Predictive Control (MPC) approaches. Finally, the proposed control approach is integrated into a multi-agent framework for coordinated control of multiple entities and validated using a case study of a tra c scheduling problem.
Open Access
The adoption and use of Through-life Engineering Services within UK Manufacturing Organisations
(Sage, 2014-07-18) Redding, Louis E.; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Roy, Rajkumar; Phillips, Paul; Shaw, Andrew
Manufacturing organisations seek ever more innovative approaches in order to maintain and improve their competitive position within the global market. One such initiative that is gaining significance is ‘through-life engineering services’. These seek to adopt ‘whole life’ service support through the greater understanding of component and system performance driven by knowledge gained from maintenance, repair and overhaul activities. This research presents the findings of exploratory research based on a survey of UK manufacturers who provide through-life engineering services. The survey findings illustrate significant issues to be addressed within the field before the concept becomes widely accepted. These include a more proactive approach to maintenance activities based on real-time responses; standardisation of data content, structure, collection, storage and retrieval protocols in support of maintenance; the development of clear definitions, ontologies and a taxonomy of through-life engineering services in support of the service delivery system; lack of understanding of component and system performance due to the presence of ‘No Fault Found’ events that skew maintenance metrics and the increased use of radio-frequency identification technology in support of maintenance data acquisition.
Open Access
Adoption of product service systems in health care.
(2017-10) Mittermeyer, Stephan Alexander; Tomiyama, Tetsuo; Tiwari, Ashutosh
Health care systems are constantly challenged to deliver better quality of care at lower cost. Product Services Systems (PSS) aim to output a higher value to a customer, while reducing resource input required to achieve such value and sustainability. In the health care market this could help companies increase their focus on value for the patient, but also for the health care system as such. This focus on value can ultimately help drive down health care cost, which is one of the most pressing issues in health care systems today. The potential of PSS to address some of the major challenges in the health care market was recognised early in PSS research, however adoption in this field is still below expectation. Motivated by the potential of PSS in health care this work aims to explore the current status of adoption as well as drivers and barriers to future adoption in this market and evaluates if and how PSS can be designed and implemented by companies active in this market. This work showed that PSS can be feasible and useful in this sector as they address relevant current challenges. Future changes in the health care market will likely make PSS even more relevant. Certain concepts of PSS are already applied in the market without leveraging the benefits of a fully developed PSS. Limitations in how the value for patients and other market actors is determined and made transparent is a major challenge in the adoption of PSS. An assessment method is proposed to enable companies to evaluate the value generation of their PSS offerings. In addition, a guideline for PSS design is proposed based on results of this work and field observations. This thesis contributes to a better understanding of PSS adoption in health care by investigating mechanisms in the health care market to understand if PSS can be implemented in a useful manner and how PSS can be adopted in health care in the future. As PSS consists of a number of separate concepts that may be used by themselves and also outside a PSS concept, a detailed analysis was performed to evaluate how PSS concepts are already utilized by industry, as such partial implementations may be a good starting point for full PSS adoption. Adoption of a PSS in any industry requires a measure to evaluate the success of a system implementation or the quality of PSS offerings. Given the complex market network in health care, metrics for evaluations have been identified, linking different dimensions of clinical utility to PSS. Those metrics enable companies to assess PSS systems or scenarios, but also enable development teams to focus their PSS design efforts, as those assessment metrics provide a framework for PSS requirements engineering in this market. Based on the results of the work outlined above, design guidelines were defined to support the development process of PSS in health care.
Open Access
Analysis of the “make or buy” decision process in a research and development sme
(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Sarkandi, Mohammad; Baguley, Paul; Tiwari, Ashutosh
Start-up SMEs face various challenges and difficulties during their existence and due to their nature they often lack knowledge and resources to fully address these challenges. Unlike large companies which have access to various resources, those resources are a significant gap for SMEs and the business owners have to rely on their own limited knowledge. The “Make or buy” decision is a critical decision in an organisation. This decision can affect current and future costs, capability and competences in the company and by taking best practice approaches and measures towards the decision making, extensive costs can be potentially saved. In this study, literature best practices have been reviewed. In addition a small company has been studied and the current practices of the company have been compared to academic best practices. The result of the study will be used to improve the “Make or buy” decision process in the company.
Open Access
Applications of simulation in maintenance research
(World Academic Press, 2013-02-01) Alabdulkarim, Abdullah A.; Ball, Peter D.; Tiwari, Ashutosh
The area of asset maintenance is becoming increasingly important as greater asset availability is demanded. This is evident in increasingly automated and more tightly integrated production systems as well as in service contracts where the provider is contracted to provide high levels of availability. Simulation techniques are able to model complex systems such as those involving maintenance and can be used to aid performance improvement. This paper examines engineering maintenance simulation research and applications in order to identify apparent research gaps. A systematic literature review was conducted in order to identify the gaps in maintenance systems simulation literature. The methodology applied identified peer- reviewed papers which were analysed for content and research direction. Simulation has been applied to model different maintenance sub-systems (asset utilisation, asset failure, scheduling, staffing, inventory, etc.) but these are typically addressed in isolation and overall maintenance system behaviour is poorly addressed, especially outside of the manufacturing systems discipline.
Open Access
An Approach for Innovation Outsourcing
(Cranfield University, 2013-01) Rehman, Shahwar; Tiwari, Ashutosh
This study concerns facilitating organisational capability for outsourcing innovation, enabling firms to take advantage of its many benefits, (e.g., reduced costs, increased flexibility, access to better expertise and increased business focus), whilst mitigating its risks. Its purpose is to develop a generic holistic model to aid firms successfully outsource innovation. The model is developed in two stages using a qualitative theory building research design. The initial stage develops a preliminary model which is subsequently validated and refined during the second stage. Guided by the research aim, template analysis is used to inductively form an innovation outsourcing template from a literature data set assessed for its suitability. The template is interpreted as an innovation outsourcing archetype to produce a framework. This is explored, with the aid of influence diagrams, to make explicit the associations between innovation outsourcing capabilities, process and performance. The outcome is a set of propositions which constitute a preliminary innovation outsourcing model. The propositions which form the preliminary model are deductively explored to identify whether they also exist in a different data set. A methodically designed semi-structured interview survey is executed with the aid of a rich picture survey instrument to gather data for this purpose. The data is analysed through pattern matching and explanation building to explore the correlations which constitute the model. Where they correlate as predicted, propositions are confirmed. Where they do not, an explanation is sought and tested. The outcome is a validated innovation outsourcing model. The contribution to knowledge is an innovation outsourcing model which aids the realisation of performance. The model achieves this through a three-stage process which enables the alignment of capability to outsourced innovation activity, and makes actual performance outcomes, rather than expected benefits, the focus of innovation outsourcing aims.
Open Access
Assessing asset monitoring levels for maintenance operations: a simulation approach
(Emerald, 2015-10-31) Alabdulkarim, Abdullah A.; Ball, Peter D.; Tiwari, Ashutosh
Purpose – Asset management has recently gained significance due to emerging business models such as Product Service Systems where the sale of asset use, rather than the sale of the asset itself, is applied. This leaves the responsibility of the maintenance tasks to fall on the shoulders of the manufacturer/supplier to provide high asset availability. The use of asset monitoring assists in providing high availability but the level of monitoring and maintenance needs to be assessed for cost effectiveness. There is a lack of available tools and understanding of their value in assessing monitoring levels. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This research aims to develop a dynamic modelling approach using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to assess such maintenance systems in order to provide a better understanding of the behaviour of complex maintenance operations. Interviews were conducted and literature was analysed to gather modelling requirements. Generic models were created, followed by simulation models, to examine how maintenance operation systems behave regarding different levels of asset monitoring. Findings – This research indicates that DES discerns varying levels of complexity of maintenance operations but that more sophisticated asset monitoring levels will not necessarily result in a higher asset performance. The paper shows that it is possible to assess the impact of monitoring levels as well as make other changes to system operation that may be more or less effective. Practical implications – The proposed tool supports the maintenance operations decision makers to select the appropriate asset monitoring level that suits their operational needs. Originality/value – A novel DES approach was developed to assess asset monitoring levels for maintenance operations. In applying this quantitative approach, it was demonstrated that higher asset monitoring levels do not necessarily result in higher asset availability. The work provides a means of evaluating the constraints in the system that an asset is part of rather than focusing on the asset in isolation.
Open Access
Automated Cost and Customer Based Business Process Reengineering in the Service Sector
(Cranfield University, 2008-10) Stelling, Mark; Roy, Rajkumar; Tiwari, Ashutosh
The design of business processes often ignores detailed consideration of service cost. With competitive market pressure, this has become a key factor for the service sector. Along with cost, customer satisfaction is a driving force in all organisations these days. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, due to the current emphasis on service throughout the whole economy, businesses must fight to attract and retain their customers. The response time for modification, or reengineering, of existing processes and the creation of new processes is important in the service sector – this is usually required in a short period of time in order to respond to market and/or customer demand. Thus, there is a requirement for the automation of business process reengineering in order to facilitate this and to minimise response time. In order to address the above, the research carried out during this project involved the design and development of a framework to integrate an activity based cost estimating approach which takes into account probability of resource usage in variable processes, with an automated business process reengineering technique which incorporates an evolutionary computing (genetic algorithms) based optimisation module. Along with this, a novel methodology for detecting risk of negative impact on levels of customer satisfaction without the availability of customer related data has also been developed and integrated with the reengineering technique - cost reduction being the primary objective, but not at the expense of customer satisfaction. The overall aim is to automate the reengineering of business processes to as great an extent as possible in order to save potentially considerable human time and effort. The development of the automated framework also included the creation of a numeric process representation mechanism in order to enable quantitative analysis of complex business processes. The framework is implemented within a prototype software platform for expert validation.
Open Access
Automated inspection using database technology within the aerospace industry
(Sage, 2008-02-01) Tiwari, Ashutosh; Vergidis, Kostas; Lloyd, R.; Cushen, J.
Many manufacturing processes have become fully automated resulting in high production volumes. However, this is not the case for inspection. Shortening the inspection times in manufacturing industry using the available information resources can result in the reduction of production lead-time and overall costs. Rapid advances in machine tool technology have resulted in fast processing computer numerical control (CNC) machines that are capable of manufacturing parts at high speeds, turning their manual inspection process into a bottleneck. However, most CNC machines record the operations that they perform as realization logs. This paper proposes an approach that utilizes these realization logs for automating the inspection process. The automation occurs with the implementation of a software tool that imports and compares the realization logs with the manufacturing instructions for a manufactured part. The output of the tool is an inspection report that lists all the identified skipped or mishandled operations for that part. The proposed inspection approach is compared with the manual practice within an aerospace manufacturer. The results demonstrate drastic reduction in production lead-time while producing accurate and reliable inspection reports in an automated manner.
Open Access
An automated optimisation framework for the development of re-configurable business processes: a web services approach
(Taylor & Francis, 2013-07-23) Vergidis, Kostas; Turner, Christopher J.; Alechnovic, Alex; Tiwari, Ashutosh
The practice of optimising business processes has, until recently, been undertaken mainly as a manual task. This article provides insights into an automated business process optimisation framework by using web services for the development of re-configurable business processes. The research presented here extends the optimisation framework by introducing additional web services as a mechanism for facilitating process interactions, identifying enhancements to support business processes and undertaking three case studies to evaluate the proposed enhancements. The featured case studies demonstrate that an increase in the amount of available web services gives rise to improvements in the business processes generated. This research highlights an increase in the efficiency of the algorithm and the quality of the business process designs that result from the enhancements. Future research directions are proposed for the further improvement of the framework.
Open Access
An autonomous system for maintenance scheduling data-rich complex infrastructure: Fusing the railways' condition, planning and cost
(Elsevier, 2018-02-22) Durazo-Cardenas, Isidro; Starr, Andrew; Turner, Christopher J.; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Kirkwood, Leigh; Bevilacqua, Maurizio; Tsourdos, Antonios; Shehab, Essam; Baguley, Paul; Xu, Yuchun
National railways are typically large and complex systems. Their network infrastructure usually includes extended track sections, bridges, stations and other supporting assets. In recent years, railways have also become a data-rich environment. Railway infrastructure assets have a very long life, but inherently degrade. Interventions are necessary but they can cause lateness, damage and hazards. Every day, thousands of discrete maintenance jobs are scheduled according to time and urgency. Service disruption has a direct economic impact. Planning for maintenance can be complex, expensive and uncertain. Autonomous scheduling of maintenance jobs is essential. The design strategy of a novel integrated system for automatic job scheduling is presented; from concept formulation to the examination of the data to information transitional level interface, and at the decision making level. The underlying architecture configures high-level fusion of technical and business drivers; scheduling optimized intervention plans that factor-in cost impact and added value. A proof of concept demonstrator was developed to validate the system principle and to test algorithm functionality. It employs a dashboard for visualization of the system response and to present key information. Real track incident and inspection datasets were analyzed to raise degradation alarms that initiate the automatic scheduling of maintenance tasks. Optimum scheduling was realized through data analytics and job sequencing heuristic and genetic algorithms, taking into account specific cost & value inputs from comprehensive task cost modelling. Formal face validation was conducted with railway infrastructure specialists and stakeholders. The demonstrator structure was found fit for purpose with logical component relationships, offering further scope for research and commercial exploitation.
Open Access
Benchmarking best practices in aerospace sector for the qualification and validation of medical devices
(Cranfield University, 2012-09) Chen Chen, Hao; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Xu, Yuchun
The validation stage in the development of a medical device plays a critical role as it demonstrates that the new product meets all the functional, reliability and quality requirements of both customer and regulatory authorities. Operating under a highly constrained process, where multiple requirements must be satisfied, the identification and implementation of innovative and improved methods can result in great cost and time savings. This project aims to develop a highly reliable and efficient procedure for the validation of medical devices. In order to achieve this, a qualitative approach has been adopted and a benchmarking study has been performed within the aerospace sector with the purpose of identifying and adapting the best practices into medical device validation procedures. The organisation current practices have been reviewed in order to identify improvement opportunities. Through several methods, including interviews, extensive literature and publications review, leading practices have been identified and proposed to the organisation. Finally, the implementation guidelines for the new procedures are provided in this research project. The outcomes of the study showed that the development of some critical procedures within the organisation, combined with an adequate resources allocation result in performance improvements and time-and-cost savings for the validation process. These results provide a starting-point for future studies basing on a quantitative approach and the particularisation of the benchmarking study scope.
Open Access
A bottom-up lean implementation study at a Malaysian automotive parts manufacturer
(Cranfield University, 2014-04) Chay, Tick Fei; Xu, Yuchun; Tiwari, Ashutosh
The aim of this research was to investigate shop floor employees’ involvement (including supervisory staffs) in lean implementation or Kaizen activities at a Malaysian automotive parts manufacturer leading in lean; and to propose a bottom-up lean conceptual model and its implementation roadmap to provoke involvement of shop floor employees in Kaizen. The research was carried out in five phases. First, the focus areas of Kaizen at Toyota and the critical success factors that would influence the extent of shop floor employees’ involvement in Kaizen activities were identified via literature review. Second, a case study was carried out at a Malaysian automotive parts manufacturer (known as Company A) with 7-years of intensive lean experience. The research data were collected via a semi-structured interview with the Lean Coordinator of the company, and a survey which addressed to different levels of internal stakeholder from top management to operators. Third, analyses on the extent of shop floor employees’ Kaizen involvement at Company A and the influences of each critical success factor were carried out. Fourth, a bottom-up lean conceptual model and its implementation roadmap incorporating the critical success factors were developed. Fifth, the proposed lean model and its implementation roadmap were validated by lean experts from both academia and industry. As a result, the study found the shop floor employees’ extent of involvement in Kaizen at Company A was low. The identified critical success factors namely F1 – top management’s commitment; F2 – shop floor employees’ commitment and technical capability; F3 – the stage of lean transformation; and F4 – shop floor responsibilities assignment were found to have significant influence on the extent of ‘Employee Involvement’. Being awarded as a Model Company in Malaysian automotive industry, Company A had yet to commence their transition to bottom-up approach phase in their lean journey although they had already enjoyed the early benefits of lean. The proposed model would thus serve as a general guideline to help the company or the Malaysian automotive industry in large in bottom-up approach lean implementation.
Open Access
Business process improvement using multi-objective optimisation
(Springer Verlag, 2006) Vergidis, K.; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Majeed, Basim
Business process redesign and improvement has become an increasingly attractive subject in the wider area of business process intelligence. Although there have been many attempts to establish a business process redesign framework, there is little work on the actual optimisation of business processes with given objectives. Furthermore, most of the attempts to optimise a business process are manual and do not involve a formal automated methodology. This paper proposes a process improvement approach for automated multi-objective optimisation of business processes. The proposed framework uses a generic business process model that is formally defined. The formal definition of business processes is necessary to ensure that the optimisation will take place in a clearly defined, repeatable and verifiable way. Multi-objectivity is expressed in terms of process cost and duration as two key objectives for any business process. The business process model is programmed and incorporated into a software optimisation platform where a selection of multi-objective optimisation algorithms can be applied to a business process design. This paper outlines a case study of business process design that is optimised by the state-of-the-art multi-objective optimisation algorithm NSGA2. The results indicate that, although business process optimisation is a highly constrained problem with fragmented search space, a number of alternative optimised business processes that meet the optimisation criteria can be produced. The paper also provides directions for future research in this area.
Open Access
Business process mining for industry: successes and caveats
(2010-06-23T00:00:00Z) Mehnen, Jorn; Turner, Christopher J.; Tiwari, Ashutosh; R. Teti
Business Process Mining (BPM) is a powerful technique which aims at mapping the complex structure of industrial processes into human interpretable graph structures by analysing business process traces automatically. The transfer of an innovative idea into an industrially viable product is a challenging task in its own rights. First, this paper introduces the concept of business process mining and an innovative Genetic Programming (GP) approach. Second, this paper addresses the principal caveats and solutions that come with transferring new academic solutions into real-world applications. A real BPM transfer project serves a background for this discussion.
Open Access
Business process mining: From theory to practice
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2012-12-31T00:00:00Z) Turner, Christopher J.; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Olaiya, Richard; Xu, Yuchun
Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present a comparison of a number of business process mining tools currently available in the UK market. An outline of the practice of business process mining is given, along with an analysis of the main techniques developed by academia and commercial entities. This paper also acts as a primer for the acceptance and further use of process mining in industry, suggesting future directions for this practice. Design/methodology/approach– Secondary research has been completed to establish the main commercial business process mining tool vendors for the market. A literature survey has also been undertaken into the latest theoretical techniques being developed in the field of business process mining. Findings– The authors have identified a number of existing commercially available business process mining tools and have listed their capabilities within a comparative analysis table. All commercially available business process mining tools included in this paper are capable of process comparison and at least 40 per cent of the tools claim to deal with noise in process data. Originality/value– The contribution of this paper is to provide a state-of-the-art review of a number of commercial business process mining tools available within the UK. This paper also presents a summary of the latest research being undertaken in academia in this subject area and future directions for the practice of business process mining.
Open Access
Business process mining: from theory to practice
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z) Turner, Christopher J.; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Olaiya, Richard; Xu, Yuchun
Purpose - This paper presents a comparison of a number of business process mining tools currently available in the UK market. An outline of the practice of business process mining is given along with an analysis of the main techniques developed by academia and commercial entities. This paper also acts as a primer for the acceptance and further use of process mining in industry suggesting future directions for this practice. Design/methodology/approach –Secondary research has been completed to establish the main commercial business process mining tool vendors for the market. A literature survey has also been undertaken into the latest theoretical techniques being developed in the field of business process mining. Findings – The authors have identified a number of existing commercially available business process mining tools and have listed their capabilities within a comparative analysis table. All commercially available business process mining tools included in this paper are capable of process comparison and at least 40% of the tools claim to deal with noise in process data. Originality/value - The contribution of this paper is to provide a state of the art review of a number of commercial business process mining tools available within the UK. This paper also presents a summary of the latest research being undertaken in academia in this subject area and future directions for the practice of business process min
Open Access
Business process optimisation using an evolutionary multi-objective framework
(Cranfield University, 2008-11) Vergidis, K.; Tiwari, Ashutosh
In response to the increasingly volatile and competitive environment, organisations are examining how their core business processes may be redesigned in order to improve business performance and market responsiveness. However, there is a lack of holistic approaches towards business process redesign through optimisation. The aim of this research is to develop an evolutionary multi-objective optimisation framework for business processes capable of: (i) representing business process designs in a quantitative way, (ii) algorithmically composing designs based on specific process requirements and (iii) identifying the optimal processes utilising evolutionary algorithms. A literature survey of business process definitions, modelling, analysis and optimisation techniques provides an overview of the current state of research and highlights the gap in business process optimisation. An industry survey within the service sector grounds the research within the industrial context and compares the real-life issues related to business processes with the literature findings. This research proposes a representation technique for business process designs using both a visual and a quantitative perspective. It also proposes the Process Composition Algorithm (PCA) – an algorithm for composing new business process designs. The proposed business process optimisation framework (bpoF) lies at the heart of this research and employs the representation technique, PCA and a series of state-of-the-art evolutionary optimisation algorithms. The framework is capable of generating a series of alternative optimised business process designs based on given requirements. A strategy for creating experimental business process scenarios is also proposed by this research. The proposed strategy provides the opportunity of assessing both the capability of the framework in optimising challenging business process scenarios and the performance of the evolutionary algorithms. Finally, a set of real-life business process scenarios is prepared using the proposed representation in order to validate the optimisation framework. Also, a workshop with a series of business process experts assesses the capability of the framework in dealing with these real-life scenarios. In this way, this research proposes a fully tested and validated methodology for capturing, representing and optimising business process designs.