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Deborah A. Sadowski ,Mark R. Grabau3 S8 d8 Q' m/ N/ {( P5 G
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,
5 P1 c. D/ C2 T* v; t' ugrowing in scope as the model progresses. * j+ A5 c9 q' p
In 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-
. l+ M! O1 r5 |+ q' s9 O/ qment, analyze, or think.
3 u6 D7 x6 ]* C% u7 Y3 r6 D. H4 ^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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