Decision Sciences Journal
Volume 27, Number 3
Summer 1996
Conceptualizing Structurable Tasks in the Development of
Knowledge-Based Systems
Michel Benaroch
School of Management, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244,
e-mail: mbenaroc@mailbox.syr.edu
Mohan Tanniru
School of Management, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244
ABSTRACT
Conventional approaches to knowledge-based system (KBS) development
are not appropriate for building KBSs when the application task is
structurable (i.e., exhibits a certain degree of ill structure).
Building a KBS for structurable tasks requires an understanding of
the problem-solving strategies used by an expert to manage the ill
structure, while at the same time relying on domain theories to
understand the structured parts of the task. This paper presents a
methodology for developing a knowledge model for structurable tasks
during the conceptualization stage of KBS development. This is
equivalent to building a logical model for design during the
development of conventional information systems. The methodology
relies on prior research on the decomposition and characterization
of a task based on its various attributes. The paper also
illustrates the use of the methodology in the case of KBS
development for financial hedging. The paper concludes with some
observations about the potential impact of this methodology on
other stages in the KBS development process.
Subject Areas: Knowledge-Based Systems, Knowledge
Modeling, Task Conceptualization, and Task Structuring.
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