What is a Strategy?

The Knowledge Service Modeler’s graphical language is based on the notion that all cognitive processes and strategies can be expressed in the form of a hierarchy consisting of tasks, methods to achieve those tasks, sub-task structures that make up the methods, and so on. Such a hierarchy possesses the characteristics of:

• Task decomposition. Tasks are broken down into their component methods and sub-tasks.
• Decision trees. The appropriate method to achieve a task is determined dynamically as a function of the particular situation.

The Knowledge Service Modeler is designed to allow a user to build such hierarchies in the form of knowledge service models.

At the top of a knowledge service model is the top task to be achieved. When a new hierarchy is begun and named by the user, the top task is automatically generated as a rectangle. Under the top task, and shown as ovals, are methods for achieving that task, shown either in the order of preferred use or with associated statements that express the conditions under which the method is used. Each method represents an independent analysis of the parent task. A method consists of an ordered set of sub-tasks, shown as rectangles, possibly with conditional loops.