Validation of System Dynamics Models – a Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this article is the analysis of the system dynamics model validation illustrated by the example of a model of the manufacturing resource allocation. In the first part of the article the authors present an overview of the definitions of validation and verification that can be found in the reference literature. Also, they emphasize the role which validation and verification play in the modeling process. Furthermore, they discuss the techniques of system dynamics model validation with particular focus on tests of the model structure, behavior and policy implications. The second part of the article contains an example of the validation process of a system dynamics model simulating manufacturing resource allocation in an electronic company. The purpose of the model is to assess the long-term effect of assigning workers to individual tasks on such production process parameters as efficiency or effective work time …