Simulation

Simulations are experiments with a model. Simulations play to their strengths when traditional experiments would have been too complex, too expensive, too lengthy, or simply not possible or accessible otherwise—like often in software engineering research.

If all parts of the experiment, i.e., the actors, their behaviours, and the context, are modelled as software, the simulation becomes an in-silico experiment or simply a computer simulation.

Therefore, simulations are ideal for software engineering research because they allow for the controlled, repeatable, and cost-effective testing of complex systems and scenarios that would be impractical or impossible to replicate in real-world environments like companies or software projects.