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Deborah A. Sadowski ,Mark R. Grabau# U1 V- ]* M4 [4 {6 n$ 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,
! H0 ?. \, l# s. |4 X& K$ D1 qgrowing in scope as the model progresses. 5 W' M* _* w+ k. q b
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-. d# N0 w, W: c t# n
ment, analyze, or think. u8 m# `1 f# e6 G7 g) C
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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