Knowledge Automation

ALAN N. FISH is Principal Consultant in Decision Solutions with FICO: the leader in Decision Management. He is an authority in the use of business rules for decision management with innovations including new methodologies for decision service analysis, design, and development, in particular the technique of Decision Requirements Analysis (DRA). He has over twenty-five years of experience in implementing decision-making systems and has been responsible for many significant IT projects at the forefront of current technology. He has published numerous papers covering such diverse topics as rule-based systems, multi-agent systems, human factors, robotics, and process management.

• Foreword ixPreface xiAcknowledgments xviiChapter 1: The Value of Knowledge 1The Economics of Knowledge 1The Knowledgeable Business 7Notes 14Chapter 2: Decisions in the Business Process 15Business Process Modeling 16Decision Points and Decision Services 17Redesigning Process Decisions 20Originations Process Template 33Approaches to Process Design 36Notes 39Chapter 3: Encapsulating Knowledge in Decision Services 41Business Rules 43Algorithms 52Predictive Analytics 56Putting It All Together 65Notes 68Chapter 4: Decision Requirements Analysis 71Principles 72Decision Requirements Diagram 73Draw 79Notes 91Chapter 5: Using DRA in Knowledge Automation Projects 93DRA in Project Management 94DRA in Knowledge Discovery 107DRA in Design 115DRA in Implementation 124The Knowledge Production Line 131Notes 133Chapter 6: Common Decision Patterns 135Implementation Types 135Collaborative Decision-Making 147Conclusion 155Glossary 159Suggested Reading 167About the Author 171Index 173