What is a model?

Since this website is called revopsmodels, we have to define a model.

A model is a simplified symbolic or physical representation of a real phenomenon or system that aims to capture its core attributes to make useful predictions and extend understanding of how that phenomenon works.

A model covers 3 main areas about the studied phenomenon:

• Its structure – what parts does it consist of
• Its behaviour – how the parts interact and what behaviour they produce
• Its function – why does it exist, what is its goal, and what success looks like

Models can be elegant. An elegant model has strong predictive power and accuracy while being compact in length.
In other words, the fewer words and complexity needed to achieve high predictive accuracy, the more elegant the model is.