In a whiteboard session we explore the problem at hand with individuals who have a deep knowledge of that problem. We start by asking simple what, when, why, and how questions then translate the responses into a graphical form.  Often the depiction then raises more questions, which lead to refinement of the system’s depiction.  After that dialogue, we then have a better sense of the problem, how it can be modeled, what data to input to it, and how long it might take to build the model.  This outcome even helps to clarify the issues whether or not a simulation is eventually used – therefore it is of value in any case.

This usually only consumes about a day of the client’s time, and typically involves 4-6 individuals.

We did this in early 2008 for a national distributor of home appliance parts.  The result was the images you see here below (anonymised to protect client confidentiality).

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