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Deborah A. Sadowski ,Mark R. Grabau' z8 m6 Z7 T& s" x/ e1 `' b$ i
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,
# d6 Y0 M5 `4 Z2 `( kgrowing in scope as the model progresses.
' c0 s1 X- W. h! N9 l" OIn 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-' B1 r& @" _! |. T) r- a
ment, analyze, or think.
! g$ f) ]" i# Y+ K& g) H; P; o UInstead, 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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