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Unit 1: Introduction to System Simulation

Notes
Figure 1.1: Modelling and Simulation Process

Project Description

The process begins with the preparation of a document called the project description. This
document includes a statement of the project goal(s) and a description of those behavioural
features of the SUI that have relevance to the goals. These behaviour features are typically
formulated in terms of the various entities that populate the space that the SUI embraces with
particular focus on the interactions among these entities. It is, more or less, an informal description
in as much as it relies mainly on the descriptive power of natural language. The language is,
furthermore, often heavily coloured with jargon associated with the SUI. This jargon may not be
fully transparent to all members of the project team and this can contribute to both an inherent
lack of precision and, as well, to communication problems.
With few exceptions, the SUI also has structural features that provide the context for the interactions
among the entities (e.g., the layout of the pumps at a gas station or the topology of the network
of streets being serviced by a taxi company). Informal sketches are often the best means of
representing these structural features. These are an important part of the presentation because
they provide a contextual elaboration that can both facilitate a more precise statement of the
project goals and as well, help to clarify the nature of the interaction among the entities. Because
of these contributions to understanding, such sketches are often a valuable component of the
project description.

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