IT Governance, Risk, and Compliance » Protocol Analysis http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:33:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems – Part VIII http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-viii/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-viii/#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:21:57 +0000 Robert Davis http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/?p=724 From a technical perspective, the typical expert system can be divided into two essential parts: the knowledge base and the inference engine. The knowledge base contains the body of knowledge, or set of facts and relationships, obtained from the knowledge acquisition phase. The rules associated with a knowledge base tend to be heuristic and take the form of conditional statements. Whereas, the inference engine is a collection of computer routines that control the system paths through the knowledge base to enable recommendations. In addition, the inference engine serves as a bridge between the knowledge base and user.

Methodologically, the knowledge engineer defines the ambit of issues that the purposed system will address because one logic path too broad may result in a system too difficult to manage and may generate a system crash. Contrastingly, the knowledge engineer must be careful not to limit an issue too much because a logic path too narrow will produce a system so rudimentary that results will be worthless.

“View Part I of the Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems series here“

]]> http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-viii/feed/ 0 Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems – Part VII http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-vii/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-vii/#comments Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:08:04 +0000 Robert Davis http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/?p=718 To assist in assessing decisional acumen, most managers are under observation for situational responses impacting the entity. Therefore, information reliability is critical. During the final stage of preparation for deployment, an expert system has to be validated to ascertain reliability and scope of decisional processes. In the model validation step a knowledge engineer and/or IT assurance professional identifies errors, omissions and mistakes in the knowledge base. Furthermore, since the constructed system is designed to simulate an expert’s decision making process, it should be tested against opinions of subject matter experts. Lastly, if the system is later updated to keep the knowledge base current, model reevaluation is necessary to ensure continued decisional reliability.

“View Part I of the Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems series here“

]]> http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-vii/feed/ 0 Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems – Part VI http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-vi/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-vi/#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:50:43 +0000 Robert Davis http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/?p=715 After experts have been selected, the knowledge engineer must take the expert knowledge and transform it into a computational model. However, issues may arise because an expert discovers that they are unable to describe how a situational scenario is resolved. Typically, this is due to experts operating at a subconscious-level while performing some tasks to address a scenario. Considering the possibility of undefined steps generating misaligned logic paths in the inference engine, commonly, interdisciplinary teams of specialists must work in unison to formulate deductive reasoning processes for defined problems.

“View Part I of the Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems series here“

]]> http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-vi/feed/ 0 Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems – Part V http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-v/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-v/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:18:24 +0000 Robert Davis http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/?p=711 To incorporate human expert knowledge into a technology-based expert system, the right individuals must be identified and selected. Specialists tend to be trained in rather narrow domains and are best at solving problems within their defined domains. Assuming experts do exist and are willing to participate; good experts are those who are able to solve particular types of problem scenarios that most others cannot solve with the same efficiency and/or effectiveness. Additionally, considerable time can be saved in developing an expert compliance system if the knowledge engineer has experience in the area being modeled.

“View Part I of the Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems series here“

]]> http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-v/feed/ 0 Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems – Part IV http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-iv/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/compliance-through-automation-expert-systems-part-iv/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:00:06 +0000 Robert Davis http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-governance/?p=707 Several methods exist for a knowledge engineer to obtain knowledge. One option is to go through textbooks and professional journals with the intent to extract definitions, axioms, and rules that apply to the issue. This type of knowledge acquisition is especially useful for teaching and reference situations because question-response paths are direct. However, how the question is posed to the expert system can lead to misleading results. Another method of acquiring knowledge is to ask human experts to explain their thought process and method for solving problem scenarios, sometimes referred to as verbal protocol analysis. Lastly, a human expert can enhance the information obtained from literary resources and often bring unpublished knowledge, gained through experience, to the decision process paths. As a result, this combinational knowledge makes human-based expert systems a valuable technology.

“View Part I of the Compliance through Automation: Expert Systems series here“

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