APPLICATION OF EXPERT SYSTEMS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT DECISION AIDING

ADVANCES IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, DIGITAL HARDWARE MINATURIZATION, AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS ARE OPENING THE DOOR FOR THE RAPID EVOLUTION OF HUMAN-COMPUTER SYSTEMS IN WHICH THE COMPUTER PERFORMS AN INCREASING SHARE OF THE INTELLIGENT FUNCTIONS AND PROCESSING IN A DECISION-MAKING SITUATION. THUS, THE HUMAN-COMPUTER RELATIONSHIP IS MOVING FROM THAT OF AN INTELLIGENT AGENT WHO IS A "USER" OF A COMPLEX TOOL TO ONE OF COOPERATING INTELLIGENT PARTNERS, IN MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT A TEAM OF HUMANS WORK AND INTERACTTO ACCOMPLISH A PARTICULAR GOAL. SYSTEMS OF THIS TYPE ARE BECOMING KNOWN AS "DISTRIBUTED INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS," AND ITIS WITHIN THIS CLASS OF SYSTEMS THAT DECISION-AIDING SYSTEMS FOR NASA TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGERS WOULD FALL. AS PART OF THIS INNOVATIVE RESEARCH EFFORT, ANALYTICS WILL INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING AN EXPERT SYSTEM-BASED PROJECT MANAGEMENT DECISION AID TO ASSIST NEW NASA TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGERS IN THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF NEW AND COMPLEX PROJECTS.