Many issues that can arise in the development and deployment of expert systems are addressed in this thin book. Its aim is to help managers and knowledge engineers overcome the obstacles that often keep expert systems from being utilized on a large scale. The author does this mainly by enumerating many approaches and observations that appeared in a broad collection of sources, ranging from daily newspapers to books and journals on artificial intelligence and information systems management. Many of these approaches are illustrated with case studies. The reader will need a great deal of creativity, however, to apply these techniques to new projects.

This guide is divided into three parts. Part 1, consisting only of chapter 1, paints a rosy picture for the continued spread of expert system technology in the near and far future. After outlining the life cycle of an expert system project in 10 steps, Liebowitz asserts that some of the current trends in expert systems are integration with traditional data processing technology, mass marketing of expert systems, and the adoption of expert systems into the business practices of many companies. The next three chapters compose Part 2, which deals with selling expert system technology to management. Chapter 2 identifies four approaches to getting management’s attention; these range from prototyping a new application to pointing out what the competition is doing with expert systems. Chapter 3 suggests several ways to couple expert systems with management information systems and with database management systems. The author predicts that “In the mid-1990’s, databases and rule-based systems will be fully integrated, embedded, and compatible with standard software, hardware, and operating systems.” Chapter 4 talks mainly about coupling expert systems with hypertext and presents an example of such a marriage acting as an assistant to a contracting officer in the navy. The possibility of extending expert systems to hypermedia is also discussed briefly.

Part 3, which addresses the issues of implementing and institutionalizing expert systems in an organization, consists of the remaining six chapters. Chapter 5 argues the importance of training users to operate the expert system they have been given; a properly used tool has a better chance of being accepted. Chapter 6 offers some guidelines for writing user documentation. While whole books have been written on this subject, the treatment here is under 10 pages in length. Chapter 7 argues the importance of good customer support. If its advice is followed, we might see user groups for individual expert systems and not just for the tools used to build them. Chapter 8 offers several strategies for maintaining expert systems, including rapid prototyping, reusable software, structured methodology, maintenance logs, and maintenance teams. Chapter 9 raises some legal issues regarding the adoption and distribution of expert systems. The issues include liability, ownership, licensing, and patent infringement. While some concrete suggestions are made for promoting the interests and limiting the liabilities of system developers, a more detailed treatment would have been welcome. Chapter 10 briefly summarizes the main guidelines found in the previous chapters. More than a fourth of the book is an appendix describing the expert system mentioned in chapter 4 for assisting naval personnel in the contracting process. The appendix includes a lengthy user session, a testing and evaluation schedule, several evaluation questionnaires, a compilation of the evaluation results, and a quick-reference user document.

This book introduces managers and knowledge engineers to the problems involved in getting expert system projects started and in incorporating the developed systems into the everyday operation of organizations so that their potential benefits can be realized. While it offers many suggestions for solving these problems, the suggestions are not detailed enough to qualify as solutions. Nevertheless, they are worth reading for anyone interested in seeing the fruits of their knowledge engineering labors flourish after they have finished.