A DISTRIBUTED KNOWLEDGE-BASED APPROACH FOR PLANNING AND CONTROLLING PROJECTS

Classical techniques used in project planning and control generally lack the required functionality to manage large-scale projects characterized by a dynamic environment and uncertain and incomplete information. In such situations, conventional planning and control techniques generally do not provide the necessary functionalities to react effectively to changes or to provide timely feedback. In order to overcome some of these problems, we propose a distributed knowledge-based approach for planning and controlling large projects. We show how a model of truth maintenance can be effectively combined with existing planning and scheduling tools to allow for incomplete plans and for effective updating and control as more knowledge becomes available. Our model is particularly well suited for supporting the extensive collaborative process among project participants that characterizes a large project.