Choosing the right model: Conceptual modeling for simulation

In performing a simulation study the modeler needs to make decisions about what to include in the simulation model and what to exclude. The modeler is faced with the very difficult choice of determining what is the best model to develop. Make it too complex and it may not be possible to complete the model with the time and knowledge available. Make it too simple and the results may not be sufficiently accurate. The process of determining what to model is known as conceptual modeling. In this paper we explore conceptual modeling first with an illustrative example from a healthcare setting. Conceptual modeling, its artefacts and requirements are then defined. Finally, a framework for helping a modeler to determine the conceptual model is briefly outlined.