Simulation modeling for analysis

Abstract

This article explores possibilities for designing and executing simulation models with specific analysis goals in mind, and shows that a tight coupling of the modeling and analysis phases in a simulation project can lead to dramatic improvements in the study results. Suggestions are made for how simulation analysis, considered in the explicit context of discrete-event simulation models, can create new opportunities for meaningful research and more efficient modeling. Modeling decisions can play a significant role in the performance of analytical procedures. How a simulation model is designed can enable, inhibit, or even invalidate analytical procedures and methodology research results.