Reference

Node types

Process Map uses four node types — Start, Task, Queue, and End.

Start

The Start node is the entry point for work items. You configure it with distributions that control how often items arrive and how much work each arrival brings.

warning

Every scenario must have exactly one Start node. The simulation will not run if you have zero or more than one.

Field	Description
Label	Name displayed on the canvas
Arrival frequency distribution	How often work items arrive (for example, exponential(rate=2) means on average 2 arrivals per time unit)
Arrival severity distribution	Optional quantity per arrival

Task

A Task node represents a processing step. When a work item arrives, it spends time being processed — sampled from the service time distribution you configure — before moving to the next node.

Field	Description
Label	Name displayed on the canvas
Distribution	Service time distribution
Resources	Optional resource assignments (limits concurrency)

Queue

A Queue node is a waiting room. Work items accumulate here until capacity is available downstream. Use it to model buffers and backlogs in your process.

Field	Description
Label	Name displayed on the canvas
Capacity	Maximum items that can wait simultaneously (null = unlimited)

note

Queues do not consume service time — items pass through instantly once capacity becomes available.

End

The End node is the exit point for work items. Every scenario must have at least one End node.

warning

If your process has no End node the simulation cannot run. Add at least one End node to complete the flow.

Node indicators

Each node on the canvas shows visual indicators so you can see its configuration at a glance.

Indicator	Meaning
Distribution badge	Shows the configured distribution type
Resource dots	Colored dots for each assigned resource
Sim icon	Opens the simulation config panel for this node
Info icon	Opens the node info panel

Connection properties

Property	Type	Description
probability	float (0–1)	Weight used for probabilistic routing. Must sum to 1 across all outgoing connections from a node.
routing_condition	expression string	Boolean expression for conditional routing. Evaluated against the unit's label values.
label	string	Optional display label shown on the connection line in the canvas.

Routing modes and expression syntax

When a node has multiple outgoing connections, you choose how work items are distributed:

Mode	Behavior
Probabilistic	Each connection has a probability weight (0–1). Work items are routed randomly according to those weights. Weights must sum to 1.
Conditional	Each connection has a boolean expression. Conditions are evaluated in order; the first connection whose condition is true is taken.

A routing condition is a boolean expression evaluated against the unit's label values:

<expression> := <term>
             | <expression> AND <term>
             | <expression> OR <term>
<term>       := <field> <operator> <value>
             | ( <expression> )
<field>      := label name (defined in the scenario's label set)
<operator>   := < | <= | = | >= | > | <>
<value>      := number | "string"

AND binds tighter than OR. Use parentheses to override precedence.

Supported operators:

Operator	Meaning
<	Less than
<=	Less than or equal to
=	Equal to
>=	Greater than or equal to
>	Greater than
<>	Not equal to

Examples:

Expression	Routes when
priority = "high"	The unit's priority label equals "high"
score >= 80	The unit's score label is 80 or above
score >= 80 AND region = "north"	Both conditions are true
score < 50 OR escalated = "yes"	Either condition is true

See Setting up conditional routing for how Router nodes evaluate these expressions, including default routes and validation.

Distributions

Distribution	Parameters	Example use
constant	value	Fixed processing time (e.g. always 5 min)
normal	mean, std	Normally distributed service time
exponential	rate	Memoryless arrivals (classic queuing)
uniform	low, high	Any value equally likely in a range
poisson	rate	Count-based arrival process
lognormal	mean, sigma	Right-skewed service times
gamma	shape, scale	Flexible positive-value distribution
weibull	scale, shape	Wear-out or reliability modeling
triangular	low, mode, high	Three-point estimate

Output metrics

After each run, Pocketstats reports:

Metric	Description
Units completed	Total work items that reached an End node
Throughput	Units completed per time unit
Avg cycle time	Mean time from arrival to completion
Avg queue depth	Mean number of items waiting at each Queue node
Avg resource utilization	Fraction of time each resource was in use

Resource properties

Property	Type	Description
Name	string	Display name shown in the Manage Resources dialog and on canvas indicators.
Cost	number	Dollar amount per period (for example, 75 for $75/hour). Optional.
Period	string	Time unit for the cost rate: hour, day, or minute. Required if cost is set.
Color	color	Color used for the resource indicator dot on the canvas.
Units	integer ≥ 1	Total pool size — how many units of this resource exist across the whole process. Default: 1.

Scenario properties

Property	Type	Description
id	integer	Auto-assigned identifier
name	string	Display name (up to 255 characters)
created_at	datetime	When the scenario was first saved
version	integer	Optimistic-lock counter; increments on every save
owner	user	Personal scenarios are owned by a single user
organization	org	Org scenarios are visible to all org members
share_token	UUID	Present when sharing is enabled; null otherwise

Plan limits

Feature	Free (trial expired)	Pro
Create scenarios	—	Unlimited
Edit scenarios	—	✓
Run simulations	—	Unlimited
View existing scenarios	Read-only	✓
Share scenarios	—	✓
Organization scenarios	Read-only	✓

All new accounts include a 14-day Pro trial with full access — no credit card required.

Config file format

You can export and import scenarios as .conf text files. The format is human-readable and version-control friendly, making it easy to track changes, diff models, or script bulk edits. See Importing and exporting a scenario for the procedure.

The file is divided into up to five sections separated by ---:

Section	Contents
Nodes	Node type and label for each node
Distributions	Arrival and service time distributions
Connections	Edges and routing probabilities
Resources	Resource pool definitions
Resource allocations	Which resources are assigned to which nodes

Comments start with # and can appear anywhere in the file.

Full example

# My process model

---
S:Intake
T:Review
T:Approval
Q:Buffer
E:Done

---
Intake ~ exponential(rate=2), constant(value=1)
Review ~ normal(mean=5, std=1)
Approval ~ lognormal(mean=2, sigma=0.5)

---
Intake -> Review
Review -> Buffer
Buffer -> Approval : 0.8
Buffer -> Done : 0.2
Approval -> Done

---
R:Analyst $50/hour #4a90d9
R:Manager $100/day

---
Analyst(1) -> Review
Manager(1) -> Approval

Nodes section

One node per line: <prefix>:<label>

Prefix	Type
S:	Start
T:	Task
Q:	Queue
E:	End

Distributions section

One distribution per line: <label> ~ <dist>

• Task nodes: <label> ~ <distribution>
• Start nodes: <label> ~ <frequency_dist>, <severity_dist>
• Queue and End nodes have no distribution.

Distribution syntax: <name>(<param>=<value>, ...)

Distribution	Parameters
constant	value
exponential	rate
normal	mean, std
uniform	low, high
poisson	mu
lognormal	mean, sigma
gamma	shape, scale
weibull	scale, shape
triangular	low, mode, high

Connections section

One connection per line: <from> -> <to> or <from> -> <to> : <probability>

Review -> Approval
Review -> Rejected : 0.1

note

If you omit the probability on a connection, it defaults to 1.0.

warning

When multiple connections leave the same node, their probabilities must sum to 1.0. An unbalanced routing probability will cause a validation error on import.

Resources section

One resource per line: R:<name> $<cost>/<period> #<hex-color>

Cost and color are optional.

R:Analyst $50/hour #4a90d9
R:Manager

Resource allocations section

One allocation per line: <resource_name>(<count>) -> <node_label>

Analyst(1) -> Review
Manager(2) -> Approval

Validation errors

If the .conf file contains errors, the import will fail with a message describing the problem — for example, an unknown distribution name or a connection that references a node that does not exist. Fix the reported line and re-import.

Sharing

Share links look like:

https://pocketstats.io/shared/<uuid>/

Each link is a unique UUID. Revoking and re-enabling sharing generates a new UUID, so old links stop working.

When someone opens a share link, they see a read-only version of the canvas. Viewers can:

• Pan and zoom the canvas
• Click any node or connection to inspect its configuration in the side panel
• View node type, label, distribution parameters, and resource assignments
• View connection routing mode and probability weights

Viewers cannot:

• Edit nodes, connections, or any configuration
• Run simulations
• Export or duplicate the scenario
• See other scenarios in your account

The toolbar and editing controls are hidden. The viewer sees only the canvas and a read-only configuration panel.

Sharing API

Method	Endpoint	Action
POST	/api/scenarios/<id>/share	Enable sharing (returns share_token and share_url)
DELETE	/api/scenarios/<id>/share	Disable sharing
GET	/api/shared/<token>	Read scenario data (public, no auth required)

Keyboard shortcuts

note

On macOS, replace Ctrl with Cmd for all shortcuts below.

Key	Action
V	Select / move tool
T	Place Task node
Q	Place Queue node
S	Place Start node
E	Place End node
C	Connect tool
I	Toggle info panel (requires a node to be selected)
M	Open Manage Resources modal
Delete / Backspace	Delete selected node or connection
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y / Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo

tip

Both Ctrl+Y and Ctrl+Shift+Z trigger redo on Windows and Linux. On macOS, use Cmd+Z to undo and Cmd+Shift+Z to redo.

Canvas interactions

Action	How
Place node	Select tool from toolbar (or keyboard shortcut), click on canvas
Move node	Drag in select mode
Connect nodes	Connect tool → drag from source handle to target
Select	Click node; Ctrl+click for multi-select; drag-box for area select
Delete	Delete or Backspace with node or edge selected
Open info panel	I with node selected, or click the info icon on the node
Open sim panel	Click the simulation icon on a node
Fit view	Toolbar fit button