Are “wrong” models useful? A qualitative study of discrete event simulation modeller stories

Naoum Tsioptsias, Antulea A. Tako and Stewart Robinson

Journal of Simulation, 2023, vol. 17, issue 5, 594-606

Abstract: Little is known about models deemed ”wrong” by their modellers or clients in Operational Research (OR). This paper aims to improve our understanding of “wrong” Discrete Event Simulation (DES) models based on empirical evidence. We interview 22 modellers who describe projects where modelling did not go as expected and explain how they dealt with those situations. This resulted in 54 stories reporting that a model was identified ”wrong” either by the modeller, the client or both. We perform a qualitative text analysis of the stories to identify the factors that define a ”wrong” model as well as potential uses of ”wrong” models. The results show that some models even though considered ”wrong” may still be useful in practice and provide valuable insights to users and modellers. This study offers practical suggestions for users and modellers to consider when dealing with a model that is considered ”wrong”.

Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/17477778.2022.2108736 (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:taf:tjsmxx:v:17:y:2023:i:5:p:594-606

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/tjsm20

DOI: 10.1080/17477778.2022.2108736

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Simulation is currently edited by Christine Currie

More articles in Journal of Simulation from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().