|
|
Deborah A. Sadowski ,Mark R. Grabau# {" d' ]* i$ e2 T
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,
6 t( F) p4 ^) S' n# Z. g8 ^growing in scope as the model progresses.
+ p1 W; ]5 l! C: O& [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-! O& O& z& N3 ]: T! C
ment, analyze, or think.
2 p1 Q+ a! @1 t5 M5 ]5 GInstead, 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. |
|