Fixed-width multiple-comparison procedures using common random numbers for steady-state simulations

Suppose that there are k ⩾ 2 different systems (i.e., stochastic processes), where each system has an unknown steady-state mean performance. We consider the problem of running a two-stage simulation using common random numbers to construct fixed-width confidence intervals for two multiple-comparison problems. Under the assumptions that the stochastic processes representing the simulation output of the different systems satisfy a functional central limit theorem and that the asymptotic covariance matrix satisfies a condition known as sphericity, we prove that our confidence intervals are asymptotically valid (as the desired half-width of the confidence intervals tend to zero). We develop both absolute- and relative-width confidence intervals. Empirical results are presented indicating the procedures’ robustness to violations of the sphericity assumption.