Verification of Simulation Models

• Make sure the conceptual model is translated into a computerized model properly and truthfully. Typically three intuitive mechanisms can be used.
  1. Common sense
     1. Have the computerized representation checked by someone other than its developer.
     2. Make a flow diagram which includes each logically possible action of a system can take when an event occurs, and follow the model logic for each action for each event type.
     3. Closely examine the model output under a variety of settings of input parameters.
     4. Interactive Run Controller (IRC) or debugger is an essential component of successful simulation model building, which allows the analysist or the programmer to test the simulation program interactively.
     5. If one is modeling certain queueing system, the simulation results can be compared with theoretical results as upper or lower bound. For example, in a queueing system, if the increase in arrival rate or service time does not affect the queue length or waiting time, then something is suspicious.

  2. Thourough documentation: by describing in detail what the simulation programmer has done in design and implementing the program, one can often identify some problems.

  3. Trace: go through a few steps in an actual program to see if the behavior is reasonable (Example 11.1 on page 404)

• Verification of a simulation model is very similar in what a typical software product would have to go through.