Why would someone choose to use simulation to analyze a waiting line problem rather than use a formula? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a simulation approach?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: Closed form, analytical expressions are possible for only a few situations in waiting line theory. Even those circumstances often fail to meet all of the assumptions, for example a true stationary exponential distribution, no reneging, etc., all of the time. For those cases where analytical analysis is not practical, simulation is the best approach.
Simulation models have a number of advantages; the permit off-line evaluation of new processes or process changes, they permit time compression, and what-if analysis.
The disadvantages of simulation are that the simulation model may be oversimplified, that is it fails to accurately capture the nuances of the system to be modeled. Simulation models also generally do not offer optimal solutions and can become costly and time consuming to develop and interpret.
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