The number of interactions involved in the operation of the common industrial or governmental organization of today makes effective management very difficult, especially when the system is constantly changing. One effective method of examining the various aspects of such a system is by means of simulation. This paper reports research required to perform the initial phase and several follow-up stages in the development of a highway maintenance simulation model. This model is expected to provide management personnel in a state highway maintenance program with the opportunity to consider realistic alternatives and to analyze results of various possible actions before physical changes or irrevocable policy decisions are made. The model uses information such as work activties, labor power, equipment, materials, work-crew alternatives, road network consideration, weather characteristics, and scheduling alternatives. The model should give administrative personnel a means of considering a wide variety to typical highway maintenance dilemmas. Situations that only experience and rule-of-thumb reasoning explained in the past can thus be examined through the eyes of statistical indicators.(Author)