CASE STUDY: A SHORT REVIEW OF BOOK WITH RELEVANT COURSE CONTENT
AUTHOR: Christopher A. Chung
ANALYSIS BY: SHAHZAD MALIK
The “Introduction” (Chapter 1) begins with information on the application, advantages, and
disadvantages of simulation modeling. The basic components of a simulation model are presented.
These include: • Entities • Resources • Queues • Statistical measures of performance In the practical
sections, the steps included in the handbook are: • Problem formulation • Project planning • System
definition • Input data collection • Model translation • Verification, validation • Experimental design •
Analysis • Presenting conclusions and results
Chapter 2, “Problem Formulation,” includes material on project orientation issues and establishing the
project objectives. Project objective selection techniques are presented to ensure that the most
important problems are addressed in the study.
Chapter 3, “Project Planning,” includes project management techniques that will assist the user in
planning a successful simulation project. This includes organizing the simulation project tasks with a
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structure, assigning responsibility for the tasks with linear responsibility charts, and sequencing the tasks
with Gantt charts.
Chapter 4, “System Definition,” includes identification of the system components to be modeled in the
simulation. These include identifying the important system processes, input data requirements, and
output measures of performance.
Chapter 5, “Input Data Collection and Analysis,” discusses collection of original data, use of existing
data, and input data analysis techniques. Input data analysis techniques include the use of the chi-
square goodness-of-fit test and currently available data-fitting software.
Chapter 6, “Model Translation,” presents information on how to make simulation software selection
decisions. Users will be able to understand the advantages and disadvantages of using general purpose
programming languages versus simulation-specific software. This section also includes a brief summary
of the capabilities of a few of the more established simulation-specific software packages that are
available to practitioners. The section closes with guidance on programming the actual simulation
model.
Chapter 7, “Verification,” discusses a variety of techniques available for the user to help ensure that the
simulation model operates as intended. These include the use of entity animation and variable displays
for debugging purposes.
Chapter 8, “Validation,” presents a variety of techniques to determine whether or not the model
represents reality. This section includes both qualitative and quantitative techniques available to the
user. The primary qualitative technique discussed is face validation. The quantitative techniques include
F tests, t-tests, and nonparametric tests.
