Notes on Implementation

3 Types of Models: Physical, Analog, Symbolic
        This course is almost entirely devoted to Symbolic Models.


Advantages of simulation in operations management decision-making?
   Time can be compressed
    Simulations do not disrupt ongoing activities of the real system
    Simulations can be used to analyze transient (infrequent) conditions
    Developing a simulation model can lead to better understanding of the real system

However, simulations do not optimize the goal of interest to the decision maker,
and the decision maker must alwayus retain full responsibility foir decisiosn.

Normally we run each instance of a simulation with different random variables .  We would want to run multiple trials of a simulation, each trial using the same set of random numbers, when:  we wish to compare the outcome measures for several different sets of exogenous decision variable


Sources of Modeling Failure
a.    The model itself becomes the scapegoat for a failed project
b.    Scope creep causing unplanned work and deadlines to be missed
c.    Political issues involving decision-making rights
d.    Separation of players curse