ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the use of simulation by focusing on how to build discrete-event simulation models of real business processes using a commercial simulation software package called ExtendSim. The level of detail and the scope of the model are directly related to the overall goal of the simulation effort. ExtendSim, like most modern simulation packages, provides a graphical modeling environment in which the model of the process is represented by a block diagram. Blocks with different functionality are dragged and dropped into the model from available libraries. The blocks are easily connected to each other by drawing connection lines between them. Model verification is the process of debugging a programmed model to ensure that it operates as expected. Model validation refers to determining whether the model represents the real process accurately. A simulation model in ExtendSim is an interconnected set of blocks.
