Automated selection of the number of replications for a discrete-event simulation

K Hoad (), S Robinson () and R Davies ()
Additional contact information
K Hoad: Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
S Robinson: Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
R Davies: Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

Journal of the Operational Research Society, 2010, vol. 61, issue 11, 1632-1644

Abstract: Abstract Selecting an appropriate number of replications to run with a simulation model is important in assuring that the desired accuracy and precision of the results are attained with minimal effort. If too few are selected then accuracy and precision are lost; if too many are selected then valuable time is wasted. Given that simulation is often used by non-specialists, it seems important to provide guidance on the number of replications required with a model. In this paper an algorithm for automatically selecting the number of replications is described. Test results show the algorithm to be effective in obtaining coverage of the expected mean at a given level of precision and in reducing the bias in the estimate of the mean of the simulation output. The algorithm is consistent in selecting the expected number of replications required for a model output.

Keywords: discrete-event simulation; number of replications; confidence interval (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/jors.2009.121 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:jorsoc:v:61:y:2010:i:11:d:10.1057_jors.2009.121

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... search/journal/41274

DOI: 10.1057/jors.2009.121

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of the Operational Research Society is currently edited by Tom Archibald and Jonathan Crook

More articles in Journal of the Operational Research Society from Palgrave Macmillan, The OR Society
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().