11. ES/EIS/ESSRev: April, 2014

Euiho (David) Suh, Ph.D.

POSTECH Strategic Management of Information and Technology Laboratory(POSMIT: http://posmit.postech.ac.kr)

Dept. of Industrial & Management EngineeringPOSTECH

Contents1 Expert System (ES)

2 Executive Information System (EIS)

3 Executive Support System (ESS)

4 Case Study

3

Introduction to Expert System (ES)

■ Definition– Computer-based information systems that use expert knowledge to attain high-level

decision performance in a narrowly defined problem domain

■ Features of ES

1. Expert System

Expertise Containing expertise that enables ES to make expert-level decisions

Symbolic reasoning

Containing symbolically represented knowledge andsymbolic primary reasoning mechanism

Deep knowledge Containing complex knowledge not easily found among nonexperts

Self-knowl-edge

Learning from its successes and failures as well as other knowledge sourcesand examining its own reasoning and providing proper explanations

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Important Concepts in ES

■ Experts– Degrees or levels of expertise– Nonexperts outnumber experts often by 100 to 1

■ Transferring Expertise– From expert to computer to nonexperts via acquisition, representation, inferencing,

transfer

■ Inferencing – Knowledge = Facts + Procedures (Rules)– Reasoning/thinking performed by a computer

■ Rules (IF … THEN …)

■ Explanation Capability (Why? How?)

1. Expert System

5

Conceptual Architecture of a Typical ES 1. Expert System

Modeling of Manufacturing Systems

Abstract

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KnowledgeEngineer

KnowledgeBase(s)

InferenceEngine

Expert(s) Printed Materials

UserInterface

WorkingMemory

ExternalInterfaces

Solutions Updates

Questions/Answers

StructuredKnowledge

ControlStructure

Expertise Information

Base ModelData Bases

Spreadsheets

Knowledge

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Application of ES

■ ES Application Categories– Decision management– Diagnostic/Troubleshooting– Design/Configuration– Selection/Classification– Process Monitoring/Control

■ Examples of Application– DENDRAL• Applied knowledge (i.e., rule-based reasoning)• Deduced likely molecular structure of compounds

– MYCIN• A rule-based expert system • Used for diagnosing and treating bacterial infections

– XCON• A rule-based expert system• Used to determine the optimal information systems configuration

1. Expert System

7

Benefits of ES

■ Capture Scarce Expertise

■ Increased Productivity and Quality

■ Decreased Decision Making Time

■ Reduced Downtime via Diagnosis

■ Easier Equipment Operation

■ Elimination of Expensive Equipment

■ Ability to Solve Complex Problems

■ Knowledge Transfer to Remote Locations

■ Integration of Several Experts' Opinions

■ Can Work with Uncertain Information

1. Expert System

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Limitations of ES

■ Processing not available knowledge

■ Extracting expertise from humans

■ Fear of sharing expertise

■ Conflicts in dealing with multiple experts

■ Narrow domain of knowledge

■ Highly technical experts’ vocabulary

■ Rare and expensive knowledge engineers

■ Lack of trust by end-users

■ Occasionally producing incorrect recommendations

1. Expert System

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Critical Successful Factors (CSF) for ES

■ Sufficiently high level of knowledge

■ At least one cooperative expert

■ Mostly qualitative problem

■ Problem in sufficiently narrow scope

■ High quality, friendly user interface, naturally string and manipulating the knowledge

1. Expert System

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Introduction to Executive Information System (EIS)

■ Definition– A computerized user-friendly system specially designed to meet the needs of top ex-

ecutives and to eliminate the need for intermediaries

■ Capabilities– Tracking and control– Tailoring to the individual executives decision making style– Status access, namely rapid access to current information– Extensive use of data from external source

2. Executive Information System

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EIS Development Framework

EIS DEVELOPMENTExecutive Re-

quirementEIS product

• Development methodology (CSF)

• Standard (naming convention)• External & Internal Pressure• Spread• EIS capabilities• Development skills• Cost/time

• Software(EIS generator, DBMS)• Hardware• Personnel• Internal & External Data• MIS environment(system con-

fig.)

2. Executive Information System

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EIS Development Process

I. Preliminary Study

II. Application Study

III. Prototype Construc-tion

IV. System Design

V. Final System Construc-tion

VI. Testing

VII. Installation

General Info. for EIS

Design info. For Proto-type

Prototype

Implementation Plan

Full-systems

Improved systems

STAGE

DELIVER-ABLENeeds for EIS develop-

ment

VIII. Extension Plan for extension

2. Executive Information System

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CSF for EIS

■ Committed and Informed Executive sponsor

■ Operating Sponsor

■ Appropriate Information service staff

■ Appropriate Information Technology

■ Data management

■ Clear Links to Business Objectives

■ Management of Organizational Resistance

■ Management of the Spread and Evolution of the system

2. Executive Information System

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Executive Support System (ESS)

■ Definition– A computer program that uses specialized symbolic reasoning to help executives

solve difficult problems effectively

■ ES vs. ESS

■ Characteristics of Problems suitable for ESS– Unencodable problem solving knowledge– Need for a strong user interface– Accessibility and malleability

3. Executive Support System

Criteria ES ESS

Techniques Similar

Objective To solve problems To help executives solve prob-lems

Decision-maker Machine (System) Human-being

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Reference

■ Euiho Suh, “DSS/EIS/DW/OLAP (PPT Slide)”, POSMIT Lab. (POSTECH Strategic Management of Information and Technology Laboratory)

■ O’Brien & Marakas, “Introduction to Information Systems – Sixteenth Edition”, McGraw – Hill, Chapter 10

■ Efraim Turban, Ramesh Sharda, Dursun Delen, “Decision Support and Business Intelligence systems – Ninth Edition”, Pearson, Chapter 12, pp.530~579

■ Yunmi Lee, “DSS & ES (PPT Slide)”, POSMIT Lab.(POSTECH Strategic Management of Information and Technology Laboratory)

■ Ralph M. Stair, George Walter Reynolds, “Fundamentals of Information Systems – Third Edition” – Thomson/Course Technology, Chapter 6

■ Jaimee Swiercinsky, Matt Kipp, “Expert Systems (PPT Slide)”