Using contexts to supervise a collaborative process

This paper describes a research project that investigated the feasibility of using contextual reasoning to supervise the collaborative work of knowledge workers. In complex projects that require contributions from various experts but whose interaction may be limited to a web-based collaborative tool, proper management of the project is essential to ensure that the project objectives are met. This is typically the job of a project manager. We assert that having situational awareness is likewise essential to managing a project, and we utilize Context-based Reasoning (CxBR) as the tool of choice for implementing situational awareness in an agent that assists project managers. We use rocket design and manufacture as the domain to evaluate our approach. We make use of public domain rocket design software developed by NASA as a guide to the domain. The paper describes the investigation and the related works involved in collaborative design project, as embodied by designing and building a small rocket.