An expert system for the strategic planning of construction projects

This paper describes the instigation and development of an expert system to aid in the strategic planning of construction projects. The paper consists of four parts - the origin of the project, the development of the concepts needed for the proposed system, the building of the system itself, and assessment of its performance. The origin of the project is outlined starting with the Japanese commitment to 5th generation computing together with the increasing local reaction to theory based prescriptive research in the field. The subsequent development of activities via the Alvey Commission and the RICS in conjunction with Salford University are traced culminating in the proposal and execution of the first major expert system to be built for the UK construction industry, subsequently recognised as one of the most successful of the expert system projects commissioned under the Alvey programme