Planet : An Intelligent Decision Support System for Resource Planning in Manufacturing Organizations

This paper describes a problem solver called PLANET that has been developed incollaboration with a large computer manufacturing company to assist planningmanagers with the formulation and maintenance of planning models for resourceallocation. PLANET is equipped with the primitives that enable it to preservemuch of the richness of the process of the planning activity, namely, thegeneration of symbolic alternatives, and for the expression of domain specificknowledge which enables it to synthesize these alternatives into an overallplanning model. This knowledge is maintained in a Atilde;cent;Acirc;not;Acirc;Smeta-model.Atilde;cent;Acirc;not;Acirc;? In contrast tomodeling systems which allow for parametric perturbations of an algebraic model,PLANET's meta-model provides it with the capability for systematic variations inthe symbolic model assumptions, with concomitant structural variations induced inthe algebraic model that reflect the interdependencies of those assumptions.Whenever previously held assumptions change, PLANET uses the existing model as apoint of departure in formulating the revised plan. In this way, the program isable to take cognizance of the ongoing nature of organizational problem solving,and can serve an important decision support function in maintaining and reasoningabout evolving plans