An integrated conceptual modeling framework for simulation — Linking simulation modeling to the systems engineering process

Use of simulation tools for industrial projects implies a need for aligning the engineering process and simulation modeling activities. Alignment of activities builds on the definition of a conceptual model, detailing modeling objectives, model contents, inputs and outputs, thereby relying on a project problem definition and candidate solutions. Modeling frameworks assist the analyst in defining conceptual models by identifying relevant activities to undertake, as well as suggesting good practices, and supportive methods. Surprisingly, current frameworks do not acknowledge the need for explicitly linking the set-up of a conceptual model to the engineering process. Hence, both project efficiency and effectiveness may be hurt. To address this gap, we propose an integrated conceptual modeling framework, which is tailored towards simulation use for logistic analysis purposes. Relevance of the integrated framework for project success is illustrated by a case example.