Incorporating expertise into Decision Analysis based DSS

Artificial Intelligence/Expert Systems (AI/ES) techniques are proposed as means of combining the expertise of the experienced decision analyst with the computational methods of Decison Analysis (DA) to provide a user-friendly problem structuring, solution and querying environment which can be accessed directly by those responsible for managerial decisions. Such a system can be implemented as an Expert System shell. The key features of the shell are the inclusion of knowledge from previous problems through problem templates and the use of a combination of natural language and influence diagrams to communicate with users. This shell has the potential to further expand the use of DA by helping to overcome the DA skill shortage and to address some of the difficulties associated with purely AI/ES approaches to complex business problem solving. The greatest benefit of an Expert Decision Analyst is through integration with organisational DSS to support valuable information processing activities such as strategic decision-making.