Expert System Tools for Construction Planning and Control

The potential utilization of expert systems in construction management has drawn considerable attention in recent years. Many prototype systems were developed and have been described in previous studies. None of these studies, however, has addressed the basis for the selection of an expert system building tool (ESBT), the most important component in developing such systems. This paper presents a set of criteria for such selection. The criteria is then applied to investigate nine commercially available ESBTs, including four microcomputer-based tools, for building a knowledge-based expert system for construction planning and control. The criteria, although developed for specific application, could be readily extend to cover other problem domians.