CommonKADS and the KADS-II Project

CommonKADS is a methodology for development of knowledge based systems, which is the result of the Esprit-II project (P5248) KADS-II. CommonKADS supports most aspects of a KBS development project, including project management, organisational analysis, knowledge acquisition, conceptual modelling, user interaction, system integration, and design. The methodology is result oriented rather than process oriented. It describes KBS development from two perspectives:

• Result perspective: A set of models, of different aspects of the KBS and its environment, that are continuously improved during a project life-cycle.
• Project management perspective: A risk-driven generic spiral life-cycle model that can be configured into a process adapted to the particular project.

KADS-II was a follow-up of the previous KADS project (P1098), which ended in 1989. KADS was adopted by many companies and research organisations, especially in Europe, but also in the US. CommonKADS is strengthening the position as de facto standard for KBS development in Europe. (Euroknowledge is a related "standardization" effort. The KACTUS Project takes CommonKADS further into reusable ontologies.)

SICS participated in the KADS-II project together with the following partners: Cap Gemini Innovation (F), Cap Programator (S), Netherlands Energy Research Foundation ECN (NL), ERITEL SA (ESP), IBM France (F), Lloyd's Register (UK), Siemens AG (D), Touche Ross MC (UK), University of Amsterdam (NL) and Free University of Brussels (B).

You will find more WWW information about the project at the University of Amsterdam, and at the Free University of Brussels.

The KADS-II project finished in June 1994, but the now dismantled KTM group used CommonKADS as one starting point for its research. The following SICS researchers can give more information about CommonKADS: Olle Olsson (olleo@sics.se), and Klas Orsvärn (klasorsv@sics.se).

The UACM group at SICS developed the Agent Model and Communication Model in the methodology. In addition to the KTM and UACM groups, also other people contributed to SICS deliverables.

The following CommonKADS documents, (co)produced by SICS, are available through the WWW:

• The CommonKADS Agent Model, A. Waern, S. Gala , KADS-II/M4/TR/SICS/005/2.0, December 1993.
• The CommonKADS Communication Model, A Waern, K. Höök, R. Gustavsson, P. Holm,KADS-II/M3/SICS/TR/006/2.0, December 1993.
• Task Model Definition and Task Analysis Process, C. Duursma, O. Olsson, U. Sundin, KADS-II/M5/VUB/RR/004/2.0, December 1993.
• Expertise Model Definition Document, Wielinga, B. (Ed.), Deliverable DM2.1c, 1994. Chapters contributed by SICS are also found as separate reports:
  • Guidelines for the Select-and-Modify Approach. Klas Orsvärn, Olle Olsson, Hesham A. Hassan.
    • A short version (recommended) of this is Guidelines for Adapting an Interpretation Model in an Application (to appear in Proc. of Knowledge Engineering Forum, GMD Sankt Augustin, Germany, March 1995. A previous version was presented as poster at EKAW-94).
  • Modelling Scenario: SAT Expertise Model, Klas Orsvärn and Steve Wells.
• Towards Problem Solving Methods for Sequential Diagnosis, Klas Orsvärn, In J. Breuker and W. Van de Velde (Eds.), Expertise Model Document Part II: The CommonKADS Library, Deliverable DM2 Vol. 2, June 1994.
• Case-study in Knowledge Modelling with Benjamins' Library of Diagnosis Methods, Klas Orsvärn, To appear in Proc. of Knowledge Engineering Forum, GMD Sankt Augustin, Germany, March 1995.
• Design Model and Process, W. Van de Velde (Ed.), KADS-II/M7/VUB/RR/064/2.1, May 1994.

For more information about the KADS work please contact:

Olle Olsson (olleo@sics.se)