Provider and customer expectations of successful simulation projects

It is crucial that simulation projects are successful, but defining what is meant by success is far from straightforward, surprising though this may seem. This paper describes an analysis of interviews with simulation providers and customers. What emerges is (a) a definition of success and (b) that the two parties have different views of what constitutes a successful simulation project. The definition of success is based on a four stage model of changing perceptions and it assumes that success is not a simple binary variable, but can vary considerably throughout the life of a project. This suggests that simulation providers need to be careful in managing the expectations of their customers and in how they deliver the work. It is the authors' belief that this may also be true for Operational Research interventions other than those involving computer simulation.