Manager's Role in Simulation Process

What are some of the responsibilities of the manager in the simulation process?

Formulating problem objectives, directing personnel to provide information and data, interacting with the simulation modeler regularly, using the simulation results as an aid in decision-making

Why is debugging a large-scale simulation program considered a difficult and arduous task?

Due to the potentially large number of logical paths

What is verification concerned with in the context of simulation?

Determining whether the 'assumptions document' has been correctly translated into a computer 'program'

What is one technique for the verification of simulation computer programs?

In developing a simulation model, write and debug the computer program in modules or subprograms Signup and view all the answers

What is the importance of the manager's commitment in a successful simulation study?

It requires a commitment of the manager's time and resources Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of validation in a simulation study?

To determine whether a simulation model is an accurate representation of the system for the particular objectives of the study. Signup and view all the answers

What are the key factors that contribute to the credibility of a simulation model and its results?

Manager’s understanding and agreement with the model’s assumptions, validation and verification of the model, manager’s ownership and involvement with the project, reputation of the model developers, compelling animation. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of having more than one person review a computer program in the context of simulation?

To prevent the writer of a subprogram from getting into a mental rut and ensure a good critique. Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important to run a simulation model under various settings of input parameters?

To check the reasonableness of the output and compute simple performance measures for comparison. Signup and view all the answers

What are the guidelines for determining the level of detail required by a simulation model?

Carefully define the specific issues to be investigated, use subject-matter experts and sensitivity analyses, start with a moderately detailed model. Signup and view all the answers

What are the three sources of a simulation model input data?

The three sources of a simulation model input data are data values used directly, data values used to define an empirical distribution function, and statistical inference used to fit a theoretical distribution to the data. Signup and view all the answers

Why is approach 1 for specifying input probability distributions recommended for model validation?

Approach 1 is recommended for model validation when model output for an existing system is compared with the corresponding output for the system itself. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of specifying input probability distributions in a simulation model?

The purpose of specifying input probability distributions is to generate random values from these distributions as the simulation proceeds through time. Signup and view all the answers

What are the two main reasons for needing input probability distributions in a simulation?

The two main reasons for needing input probability distributions in a simulation are to carry out a simulation using random inputs and to specify the probability distributions of input random variables. Signup and view all the answers

What are the approaches for specifying a distribution from collected data, in order of increasing desirability?

The approaches for specifying a distribution from collected data, in increasing order of desirability, are: 1. Using the data values directly in the simulation, 2. Using the data values to define an empirical distribution function, and 3. Using statistical inference to fit a theoretical distribution to the data. Signup and view all the answers

What are two drawbacks of approach 1 in simulation?

Reproducing only historical data and lack of sufficient data for desired simulation runs. Signup and view all the answers

Why is approach 2 generally preferable to approach 1?

It can generate any value between the minimum and maximum observed data points, especially for continuous data. Signup and view all the answers

What are three reasons why a theoretical distribution (approach 3) is generally preferable to using an empirical distribution (approach 2)?

a) Irregularities in empirical distribution with a small number of data values. b) Inability to generate values outside the range of observed data. c) Ease of change in theoretical distribution. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of constructing a histogram for a continuous data set?

To provide a graphical estimate of the plot of the density function corresponding to the distribution of the data. Signup and view all the answers

How is a histogram constructed for a continuous data set?

By breaking up the range of values covered by the data into disjoint adjacent intervals and calculating the proportion of the data within each interval. Signup and view all the answers