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Deborah A. Sadowski ,Mark R. Grabau) ^: z7 \( j- T9 }! b. F3 S
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, % M3 J. ^$ v8 \( B# W$ a6 H' m
growing in scope as the model progresses. 9 n# f+ T% q! m/ U4 ^* t+ n9 x
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-. X( ]" W' U6 Z
ment, analyze, or think.
$ r8 m7 q9 b! Y' I3 q6 [& p0 KInstead, 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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