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Deborah A. Sadowski ,Mark R. Grabau8 [! G( j8 |' T; N* \/ M( L
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, & [3 h3 ^+ x3 E% P
growing in scope as the model progresses. 8 ?4 B" b, ^/ C+ B: v! d
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-1 K9 Z; l H ?( v* `* K
ment, analyze, or think.
, O! `6 F6 k$ N1 K. C1 i0 R" tInstead, 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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