1. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 1 GoldSim User Conference San Francisco, CA October 25-26, 2007 GoldSim Tutorial: Model Building Tips for Organizations Creating Models that can be Easily Shared and Reused

2. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 2 Overview Why Would I Want to Make My Models Easier to Share and Reuse? How Can I Make My Models Easier to Share and Reuse? –Discussion of Modeling, Documentation, and Style Conventions Creating a Model Library

3. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 3 Why Would I Want to Make My Models Easier to Share and Reuse? Models can be built faster (and in organizations with many GoldSim users, much faster) –Consultants should be prepared to charge and end-users should be prepared to pay for value, not time Models will have less errors –Modules can be extensively tested Models will become more realistic –Time can be spent on improving models and making them better instead of reinventing the wheel Models that can be easily shared and reused generally are also models that are very transparent –Transparent models are more likely to actually be used to support decision-making

4. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 4 How Can I Make My Models Easier to Share and Reuse? Build transparent models –see Tauxe and Catlett presentation Be consistent –Individual users should use a consistent set of modeling, documentation and style conventions –Organizations with multiple users (or companies with multiple GoldSim consultants) should agree upon, document and enforce a consistent set of conventions

5. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 5 Creating a Set of Conventions There is no one correct way to build a good model However, models must use a consistent set of conventions to be good models –Models with multiple styles and sets of conventions are very difficult to use Within an organization, this will require meetings and negotiation Types of conventions to implement: –Model structure and organization –Naming conventions –Documentation conventions

6. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 6 Creating a Set of Conventions (cont.) Do not over-specify the conventions If the rules are too rigid, they could have the effect of making some models less transparent The more restrictive the rules, the higher the likelihood that they will be ignored Let’s examine some examples of the types of conventions you might specify

7. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 7 Conventions for Model Structure and Organization Top-level organization of models

8. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 8 Brief model description However, keep in mind that often, a picture is worth a 1000 words Clear Model Title Containers separating inputs and key results from Model

9. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 9 Conventions for Model Structure and Organization Top-level organization of models Use of Container protection

10. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 10

11. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 11 Conventions for Model Structure and Organization Top-level organization of models Use of Container protection Cloning Data elements

12. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 12 Cloning Data Elements in a Model

13. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 13 Conventions for Model Structure and Organization Top-level organization of models Use of Container protection Cloning Data elements Use of cloned Containers

14. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 14 Using Cloned Containers A AB X = f(A,B) B Clone1 Clone2 Localized

15. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 15 Conventions for Model Structure and Organization Top-level organization of models Use of Container protection Cloning Data elements Use of cloned Containers Use of hyperlinks as navigational aids

16. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 16

17. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 17 Documentation Conventions Consistent set of documentation so that people always know how to dig deeper into the model Things to address: –How input data is documented (e.g., notes with hyperlinks) –Use of Descriptions and Notes –Use of Text Boxes and Graphics –Use of Hyperlinks –Use of custom images for elements Use only at high levels Create an image library

18. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 18 Naming Conventions One of the easiest ways to build consistent models that can be shared Examples: –Inflow_xxx –Expense_xxx –Volume_xxx This not only makes the models easier for others to understand, but it should help you better understand and navigate your own models

19. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 19 Rules for Building Dashboards Create a template that everyone uses Specify style guidelines (e.g., documentation, navigation)

20. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 20 Developing a Model Library Facilitates rapid development and sharing of models –Leverages prior work and maintains consistency A “gatekeeper” should be identified to make sure only high quality models are posted There are intellectual property (IP) issues that must be considered –We will discuss this in the Panel Discussion

21. GoldSim Technology Group LLC, 2007 Slide 21 Final Words Building models that can be shared and reused has very clear advantages Doing so requires creation of some standards and procedures (none of which are onerous) I have yet to see this happen in any organization