Interactive planning: a study of computer aiding in the execution of a simulated scheduling task

✍ Scribed by H.T. Smith; R.G. Crabtree

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1975
• Weight: 815 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7373
• DOI: 10.1016/s0020-7373(75)80007-1

✦ Synopsis

This paper examines some of the problems and possibilities of interactive decisionmaking within the experimental context of an industrial problem-production scheduling. An experiment is described in which subjects were required to produce items from, and generally control, a simulated job shop. A predictive facility was introduced into the simulation in order to study its effect on search strategies and, in particular, determine whether the decision horizon could be extended. One of the main themes underlying the experiment was an investigation of the extent to which subject problem-solving strategies could be formalized and incorporated into solution-seeking procedures.

The experimental results show that the type of search was relatively unaffected by the predictive facility. An explanation of this result and a discussion of the subjects strategies is offered in the light of information obtained from the analysis of verbal protocol material.