The important factors that influence the rate of an enzymic reaction are the concentration of the enzyme itself, the substrate concentration(s), and factors such as pH, temperature, presence of cofactors, and metal ions. In a practical sense, there may be occasions when we need to optimize the rate of a particular reaction.
A study of the way the rate depends on experimental variables may allow us to discriminate between possible models that attempt to predict how the enzyme functions, and thus to suggest ways of affecting it with antimetabolites.