The Expert System as a Decision Support Tool

The commercial application of expert systems indicates a role for this technology as a competitive tool in a wise variety of business activities. The ability of an expert system to duplicate the problem‐solving process of a human expert can be utilized in the managerial decisions process. Two potential roles of expert systems in this function are examined: a direct role in decision support and an indirect role in systems support. A discussion of the limitations of current expert systems technology yields several observations concerning the function of expert systems in a decision support environment. A strategy is presented to assist in identifying potential areas for developing expert system applications and evaluating their feasibility.