Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to what process improvement consultants ask first. If your question isn't here, write to support@quodsi.com.
Getting started
Do I need a simulation background?
No. If you can sketch a process as boxes and arrows, you can build a model. Quodsi asks for things you'd already gather on an engagement: how often work arrives, how long tasks take, and what resources you have. Start with the plain-language introduction and the guided tour.
Can I simulate a diagram I already have?
Yes. That's what Quodsi is built for. Open your draw.io diagram and choose Convert Diagram to Model. Quodsi reads your shapes and arrows, and you add the data. You don't redraw the process in separate software. In Lucidchart, which is in early access, it works the same way from the Quodsi menu.
Do I need an account?
Not to draw or convert a diagram in draw.io. You need a free account to take the guided tour and to run simulations.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Quodsi for draw.io runs in your web browser at drawio.quodsi.com.
Which should I use, draw.io or Lucidchart?
Use the tool your process maps are already in. Quodsi for draw.io is available now and Quodsi for Lucidchart is in early access. See the draw.io and Lucidchart guides.
What does it cost?
Quodsi for draw.io is free to try. Contact us about the Professional edition. See Plans and limits.
Understanding simulation
When should I use simulation instead of a spreadsheet or value stream map?
Use simulation when variability and shared resources drive the answer. A value stream map shows the steps. A spreadsheet handles averages. Neither shows how queues build when arrivals bunch up and people are shared between steps. See When to use simulation.
What is a replication, and why run more than one?
A replication is one run of the model with its own random arrivals and task times. One run is like one day: it might be a good day or a bad one. Quodsi reports across replications, so your answer doesn't hang on a single day. See Why one run can mislead.
What data do I need?
At minimum, how often work arrives and how long each step takes. Add staffing and capacity when people or machines are limiting the process, and costs when the decision is about money. See Gather the data.
What if I don't have good data?
Start with estimates. For a task time, ask for the fastest, the most common and the slowest. Quodsi can use those three numbers directly, as a triangular distribution. Tell your client which inputs are estimates, and test whether the answer changes if they're wrong.
Which distributions can I use for times?
Constant, Uniform, Triangular, Normal and Exponential.
Trusting the answer
How do I defend the results to a client?
Show that the baseline matches what the real process does today. Then compare scenarios across replications, and be open about your assumptions. Check the model and Present the results walk you through it.
Is Quodsi a digital twin?
No. Quodsi is a discrete event simulation tool, which is one technology under the digital twin umbrella. A digital twin is usually a live model fed by real-time operational data. Quodsi is for the "what if" decision, made before you change a process. It isn't for ongoing monitoring.
How is Quodsi different from traditional simulation software like Arena?
Quodsi works inside the diagramming tools you already use, so your model grows out of your mapping work. Traditional simulation packages are aimed at full-time simulation specialists. Quodsi is narrower: it focuses on process improvement. We don't publish a feature-by-feature comparison, so if you're choosing a tool for specialist work, try your own problem in each one.
Do the numbers change if I switch between Basic, Intermediate and Advanced?
No. The view changes only what you see. It never changes your model or its results.
Is the AI Advisor required?
No. You can build, run and read everything yourself. If you'd like help, the Advisor can assist with adding data to your shapes and more. To hide it, turn off Show AI Advisor features in Settings. See Using the AI Advisor.
Your work
Where is my model saved?
Your model is stored in your diagram, so it saves with the diagram. Your scenarios, studies and results are stored by Quodsi. See the guides for draw.io and Lucidchart.
Can I turn a model back into a plain diagram?
Yes, with Remove Quodsi Model. This also deletes the model's scenarios, studies and results, and it can't be undone.
I copied a draw.io file and the copy shows the original's results. Why?
The copy carries the original's link to its model. When the copy's name differs from the original's, Quodsi asks Is this a copy? before it saves anything, and Make it a new model gives the copy its own model. You can also choose Make this a new Quodsi model… from the Quodsi menu at any time. See Copying a model file.
How do I get help or suggest a feature?
Email support@quodsi.com, or visit the support page. You'll also find Feedback & Support in the Quodsi menu.