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Deborah A. Sadowski ,Mark R. Grabau" g2 b: D8 C& V* r7 N% 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, - C) j' M2 A3 L; f9 T( j3 K2 B/ M
growing in scope as the model progresses. : \; s# L: ]4 n$ k( [
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-2 R$ H Y2 s; c: B, L
ment, analyze, or think. : j3 p3 g, `9 B, |
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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