Intelligent Product Manuals

This book helps to bridge the gap between
conventional product manuals and the paradigm of
just-in-time knowledge delivery, which enables
corporate knowledge to be captured and delivered
when, where and in the form users need it. The book
introduces Intelligent Product Manuals (IPMs), which
are computerised product support systems that employ
product life-cycle information, expert knowledge and
hypermedia to provide just in time support to users
during the life of a product. Next, the book
concentrates on the need for adaptive product
support and promotes the Adaptive IPMs that respond
to user information goals by generating user- and
task-specific information. Finally, the book
suggests a concurrent engineering approach to the
authoring of these manuals and introduces an
integrated authoring environment, which facilitates
the collection and integration of product
information, and the maintenance and updating of
product documentation. The solutions proposed in the
book are illustrated with examples based on
prototypes developed for a manufacturer of all-
terrain fork-lift trucks as part of a project funded
by the EC.

Autorentext

Dr R Setchi is a Senior Lecturer and leader of the Knowledge Engineering Group at Cardiff University, UK. She is a Chartered IT Professional, Chartered Engineer and European Engineer. She has collaborated with partners from 15 countries and published more than 90 publications in the area of knowledge-based systems, AI and manufacturing.

Klappentext

This book helps to bridge the gap between conventional product manuals and the paradigm of just-in-time knowledge delivery, which enables corporate knowledge to be captured and delivered when, where and in the form users need it. The book introduces Intelligent Product Manuals (IPMs), which are computerised product support systems that employ product life-cycle information, expert knowledge and hypermedia to provide just-in-time support to users during the life of a product. Next, the book concentrates on the need for adaptive product support and promotes the Adaptive IPMs that respond to user information goals by generating user- and task-specific information. Finally, the book suggests a concurrent engineering approach to the authoring of these manuals and introduces an integrated authoring environment, which facilitates the collection and integration of product information, and the maintenance and updating of product documentation. The solutions proposed in the book are illustrated with examples based on prototypes developed for a manufacturer of all-terrain fork-lift trucks as part of a project funded by the EC.