System Dynamics Applications / 4 / 4.1 / 4.1.2

4.1.2 Steps To Be Completed Before Starting The Computer

It is important to avoid the temptation to turn the computer on immediately. There are a number of preparatory steps which must be completed before doing so. These preparatory steps are described in subsequent paragraphs. They are not meant to be inflexible, though a level of prescription is needed. Every step cannot be completed before proceeding to the next. There may be a need to revisit earlier steps from time-to-time. The steps are part of an iterative process described at Chapter 1. Modelling is essentially an iterative process (Richardson and Pugh, 1981; Homer, 1996; Sterman, 2000) as part of the development of our understanding of complex problems that comes through modelling and simulation.