The article discusses the solution of common business process design-time problems using YAWL – academic workflow language based on enhanced workflow nets. It currently supports all workflow patterns. The approach proposed by the authors is based on the creation of business process in the YAWL environment in order to simulate and validate the process model which could resolve some of the design-time problems as well as provide hints to correct initial process. Simulation is based on transformation of the YAWL workflow to colored Petri net – the net is then simulated to identify problems such as possible infinite loops, bottlenecks, process waits and others. The simulation methods to identify these problems are discussed. There are some design-time problems which cannot be identified or resolved using simulation approach discussed, for example, cancellation mechanisms and OR-flows, because Petri nets (upon which the simulation is based) lack these concepts. The article also describes technique to acquire the primitive description of process from the YAWL workflow, preserving control and data flow. The primitive description provides next step to authors approach – the transition from academic language to business language, which may lack the semantics, validation and simulation means as opposed to academic languages, but have superior execution environments and developer support. The primitive description is represented as oriented graph and is used to transform the YAWL workflow to a business process described using some business language, in this case BPEL, although the primitive structure may be used as the source of transformation to any hierarchic business process language. The article also contains an example – simple YAWL workflow containing three of possible problems mentioned before. The workflow is then transformed and simulated to determine if simulation approach proposed can identify the problems of sample workflow.