Advantages and Disadvantages of simulation

 Advantages
 1.      Simulation can also be used to study systems in the design stage.

2.     Simulation models are run rather than solver.

3.    New policies, operating procedures, decision rules, information flow, etc can be explored without disrupting the ongoing operations of the real system.

4.   New hardware designs, physical layouts, transportation systems can be tested without committing resources for their acquisition.

5.     Hypotheses about how or why certain phenomena occur can be tested for feasibility.

6.   Time can be compressed or expanded allowing for a speedup or slowdown of the phenomena under investigation.

7.      Insight can be obtained about the interaction of variables.

8.     Insight can be obtained about the importance of variables to the performance of the system.

9.   Bottleneck analysis can be performed indication where work-in process, information materials and so on are being excessively delayed.

10. A simulation study can help in understanding how the system operates rather than how individuals think the system operates.

11.  “what-if” questions can be answered.  So it is useful in the design of new systems.

Disadvantages
1.      Model building requires special training.
2.      Simulation results may be difficult to interpret.
3.      Simulation modeling and analysis can be time consuming and expensive.
4.      Simulation is used in some cases when an analytical solution is possible or even preferable.