A system development methodology for knowledge-based systems

Phased linear system-development methodologies inadequately address the problems of knowledge acquisition and engineering. A different approach, detailed and systematic, to building knowledge-based systems is presented, namely a knowledge-based system development life cycle. This specially tailored prototyping methodology replaces traditional phases and stages with `processes´. Processes are activated, deactivated, and reactivated dynamically as needed during system development, thereby allowing knowledge engineers to iteratively define, develop, refine, and test an evolutionary knowledge/data representation. A case study in which this method was used is presented in which Blue Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina and the Institute of Information Management, Technology, and Policy at the College of Business Administration, University of South Carolina, initiated a joint venture to automate the review process for medical insurance claims