UiPath's Business Process Simulation: From “What If” to Confident Action

UiPath has introduced process simulation within the Process Mining module, enabling organizations to model proposed changes and quantify their impact ahead of implementation. Because simulation is embedded, rather than a separate product, it uses real execution data without extra integration. The result: an easy-to-use capability that de-risks initiatives, builds confidence in the business case, and speeds decision-making.

Business process simulation builds a dynamic, digital twin model of how workflows through your process. You can safely test changes like process steps, change process time, eliminate reworks, or increasing automation and see projected impacts on end-to-end cycle time, cost and bottlenecks before touching your current process.  Meaningful performance gains usually come from coordinated bundles of changes, not single fixes. Processes behave as systems, so improving one step often just moves the bottleneck. Simulation quantifies these interaction effects, letting you identify the highest-ROI bundle before you commit time and budget.

Simulation used to be a factory-only practice. Today, the highest ROI often comes from complex office workflows order-to-cash, claims, onboarding, where policy, systems, and demand shift quickly. Pairing simulation with process data means your “what-ifs” are grounded in reality. You can compare multiple futures (e.g., staffing vs. automation mixes) side by side to support evidence-based decisions.

• System migration: Forecast new cycle time in your new system before go-live. 

• Process re-engineering: Compare alternative flows (remove/merge/sequence steps) to pick the fastest, safest design. 

• Policy changes (e.g., approval thresholds): Test risk vs. speed trade-offs when adding/removing controls. 

• First-time-right improvements: Model defect and rework reductions to see real impact on throughput and cost-to-serve.
  

1. Remove a step (“Skip activity”): Temporarily take out one or more steps to see if eliminating them shortens cycle time or creates new risks.
2. Remove back-and-forth fixes (“Remove direct rework”): Turn off immediate rework loops to estimate the gain from better first-time quality—fewer loops and faster flow.
3. Make a step faster or slower (“Update activity throughput time”): Change how long a task takes (e.g., ±10–30%) to test how training, automation, or policy tweaks affect overall cycle time and capacity.
4. Smooth the handoff between two steps (“Update edge throughput time”): Adjust the wait/transfer time from Step A → Step B to quantify how cleaner handoffs reduce delays. 

Process mining explains how work did flow and where it stalled. Simulation predicts how work would flow under new designs, so you can select the safest, highest-ROI change before committing time, budget, or customer experience.

We believe the highest ROI comes from using process mining and process simulation in a closed loop. Start with process mining to establish the baseline, simulate the future state before making changes, then re-mine post-implementation to verify outcomes and recalibrate. Because change is inherently risky and hard, this loop de-risks decisions and restores confidence in what to do next.

Identify high-impact use cases for Agentic Automation, build key use cases in a UiPath simulated environment, and a pipeline of automation opportunities mapped to impact and feasibility. Leave with projected ROI, a recommended strategy on a page, and next steps. As a UiPath Fast Track Partner, we help you move from proof of concept to production quickly.