This book is different than most. First, it's written in what might be called a participatory style. You don't sit and read the book without a computer loaded with SIMIO. This book expects your active participation in using SIMIO as you turn the pages. We try to carry on a conversation with you. Our belief is that simulation is not a spectator sport. You have to practice to gain skill with it and you develop that skill through modeling practice. This book encourages you to practice and use your skill.

Secondly, this book is focused on simulation modeling with SIMIO and most of the statistical analysis and analytical issues are left as topics to be explored elsewhere. Now it's not that we don't think these are important, because they are vital (and when we teach simulation, they are a fundamental part of the course). But we aren't going to spend much time on these topics here, since there are excellent simulation books that can fill our omission.

Our intent is that you become an active learner and, as our title suggests, you "work" as you read. Our classroom experience is that students learn most by "doing", so this workbook is centered about "labs" - which our students do during class. The chapters in this book generally correspond to one lab. If you are not in a classroom, but want to learn SIMIO on your own, we think you will find this approach attractive for self-learning. You can work through a chapter in an evening.