SWIFT: system workbench for integrating and facilitating teams

There have been many R&D efforts in recent years to develop computer environments that directly enhance group problem-solving productivity. An example of such efforts is the computer-based virtual teaming technology (VTT) developed at the knowledge-based Engineering Sytems Research Laboratory (KESRL). The core software environment for KESRL´s VTT is called SWIFT and is based on the knowledge processing technology (KPT) previously developed at KESRL to support various engineering design tasks. SWIFT is a flexible environment which enables the rapid development of collaborative applications, linking workers in distributed environments, of many domains. The paper presents the overall system architecture of SWIFT, and introduces the current and future R&D efforts at KESRL in realizing SWIFT for significant industrial applications