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How to model this?

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kalos:
Hello,

I want to model the processing of some cases, so I know the process time of each case and the number of employees, so I can find the end date.

However, depending on the deadline, the cases may need to be reprocessed every a fixed number of months, so that the total number of cases may increase depending on the end date.

How can I model this? I find difficulty because the number of cases to be reprocessed affects the end date, but also the end date affects the number of cases to be reprocessed!

Any idea?

Thanks

mouser:
What are you talking about?

IainB:
@kalos: ...I want to model the processing of some cases, so I know the process time of each case and the number of employees, so I can find the end date. ...
-kalos (September 24, 2018, 04:56 PM)
--- End quote ---
Off the top of my head...hope it makes sense and helps or is somehow useful:

Suggestion #1 - Project Plan:
If you are wanting to treat this as a time-and-resource dependent process plan, then a good project management tool (e.g., MS Project) using Gantt or Network/PERT diagramming might be the most useful. It will help you plan it out over a projected calendar period, to a planned/estimated $Cost and with planned/estimated resource utilisation (and output). Any changes to those factors (time, $Cost, resources) can be adjusted for in the plan, as reality may (it usually does) necessitate from time to time as the plan is executed.

Suggestion #2 - Process Model:
If you wanted to model the process steps for each of several case types, then, from experience, a functional process modelling tool using the *IDEF0/3  **FIPS would probably be the most useful - i.e., one that has DFD (Data Flow Diagramming) and ABC (Activity-Based Costing) built-in.
NB:
*   IDEF0/3 - Integration Definition [for Function Modelling] /[for DFD].
** FIPS - Federal Information Processing Standards.
Avoid using BPMN (Business Process Modelling Notation) modelling tools unless all you need is a diagramming tool (i.e., not a FIPS candidate).
An IDEF0 model shows the process ICOMs:

* Inputs: to each process step.
* Controls - e.g., including SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), Rules/Regulations, applicable to each process step.
* Outputs from each process step.
* Mechanisms: Physical systems and human resources used in the operation of each process step.
Modelling with this would be more about process analysis and/or re-engineering and would only be relevant/useful where your processes were already at *CMM Level 3 or higher - i.e., stable/consistent (not in a dynamic state of change), well-defined and documented and with defined process owners. Such processes would be well-understood and generally more or less in statistical control and thus have relatively predictable performance. Thus each case type will have typical process step performance characteristics (step-time/duration) in computed best/middle/worst case scenarios.
NB: *CMM - Capability Maturity Model.

Using such a modelling tool on CMM Level 3 (or above) processes, you will be able to model the processes to establish overall performance (e.g., including output results and throughput times) and $Costs. To do this, you will need to have established (from sampling and observation) average times for each process step and allocated a notional $Cost for each process step. The model will thus be able to tell you the incidental and accumulated process duration and the incidental and accumulated process $Cost at any point along the process, right up to the end-point.

NB: Use of spreadsheets: You could do most of the number-crunching aspects of this in a spreadsheet, if you did not have an appropriate modelling tool. The use of pivot tables could speed things up and a proficient Excel user could also produce static model diagrams in Excel, alongside the numbers (which could be useful).
You could also easily add Gantt-chart calculation/function to a spreadsheet model.
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kalos:
Oh damn, I forgot I am talking about EXCEL lol

kunkel321:
Trying to understand... 
Each case has a start and end date.  But do you need to calculate the end dates, or the duration of the cases?  Or do you have both of these but need to calculate the total number of (increasing) cases?   Are you thinking of a gantt chart?  Perhaps give a little more information about what the real world application is...

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