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Deborah A. Sadowski ,Mark R. Grabau. x- b% ?3 Q; k: v
There's a common misconception that performing a simulation study involves a sequence of steps (e.g., project definition, model formulation, verification, validation, analysis). To the contrary, all elements of a simulation project should be performed repeatedly throughout the effort, 8 k Y+ B6 }- D {5 K$ ~
growing in scope as the model progresses.
" g8 I4 X/ v/ NIn the traditional view, projects suffer from too strong a focus on the model (and perhaps the animation), so that after the inevitable delays and problems, there's no time left to run scenarios. Instead, the analyst is faced with a presentation deadline that's firm and little time to experi-
: v& ^7 g. F9 P. C. lment, analyze, or think. , ?9 @/ w( E* A5 d4 D
Instead, you should schedule the project in complete phases. Intermediate milestones, spaced no more than about two weeks apart in a medium to large project, should include specific goals for the model, animation, data, and analysis. By the time you reach the last 25% of your time on the project, you should have addressed the basic analysis issues of run length, warm-up time, etc. and should already have performed preliminary analysis on the model for a number of different scenarios. |
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