Building a model consists of several different steps:

• Conceptualizing the model
• Diagraming the model in Insight Maker
• Adding equations to the model
• Running the model and observing the results
• Carrying out sensitivity testing and model verification and validation activities

Not all these steps will be carried out for every model, but in general they will occur in an iterative cycle where feedback from a later step is used to adjust the product from an earlier step.

The fundamental building blocks of any Insight Maker model are a set of primitives. Primitives are basic tools provided by Insight Maker and may be used to simulate virtually any kind of system. There are a number of built-in primitives including: Stocks, Flows, Variables, Converters, and Links.