Advantages and disadvantages of simulation : -

Advantages :-

1. It can avoid danger and loss of life.

2. Conditions can be varied and outcomes investigated.

3. Critical situations can be investigated without risk.

4. It is cost effective.

5. Simulations can be sped up so behaviour can be studied easily over a long period of time.

6. Simulations can be slowed down to study behaviour more closely.

7. Simulation allows you to explore ‘what if’ questions and scenarios without having to experiment on the system itself.

8. It helps you to identify bottlenecks in material, information and product flows.

9. It helps you to gain insight into which variables are most important to system performance.

Disadvantages :-

1. It can be expensive to measure how one thing affects another, to take the initial measurements and to create the model itself (such as aerodynamic wind tunnels).

2. To simulate something, a thorough understanding is needed and an awareness of all the factors involved. Without this, a simulation cannot be created.

3. It’s a time-consuming and expensive process, so should not be used if an analytical method can provide quicker results.

4. The quality of the analysis depends on the quality of the model and the skills of the modeller, who requires specialised training.