Measuring service quality in the process of delivering a simulation study: The customer's perspective

Little research has been performed into the assessment of simulation models and even less into the assessment of simulation studies. The purpose of this paper is to describe an instrument (known as SimQual) that has been developed to assess the quality of a simulation study in which the customers are highly involved. The instrument is founded on the principles of quality measurement, and in particular service quality. From the perspective that a simulation project is a service, delivered by providers to customers, it is argued that the customers' quality perceptions are based not only on the outcome of the work (technical quality), but also on the way in which the project is delivered (functional quality). Through a series of interviews with providers and customers a set of technical and functional factors have been identified that relate to the quality of a simulation study. Based on these factors the SimQual instrument has been developed to measure simulation project quality. The paper concludes by reporting the results of empirical tests with the instrument and discussing its application as well as areas for further research.