6.5 SUMMARY

In this chapter, verification and validation were defined and their importance explained. The considerations for design of verification and validation tests were identified and this led to the purposes of testing being explained. Each type of test was explained and examples of selected tests were provided.

The trap of simply mimicking the real world was highlighted. It was explained that any number of models can reproduce a given set of behaviours without faithfully representing real-world causal structures (cause-and-effect relationships). Hence, the most important aspect of validation is to assure that the modules, sectors and models we design and construct explain real world behaviour through the structure and equations which reflect the real causal relationships in the real-world system. Only through this can we release the full potential of system dynamics modelling and gain powerful insights into complex real-world behaviour.