Myers, K. L. and Tyson, W. M. and Wolverton, M. J. and Jarvis, P. A. and Lee, T. J. and desJardins, M. . PASSAT: A User-centric Planning Framework, in Proceedings of the Third International NASA Workshop on Planning and Scheduling for Space, October 2002.
Abstract
We describe a plan-authoring system called PASSAT (Plan- Authoring System based on Sketches, Advice, and Templates) that combines interactive tools for constructing plans with a suite of automated and mixed-initiative capabilities designed to complement human planning skills. PASSAT is organized around a library of predefined templates that encode task networks describing standard operating procedures and previous cases. Users can select from these templates to apply during plan development, with the system providing various forms of automated assistance. A mixed-initiativeplan sketch facility helps users refine outlines for plans to complete solutions, by detecting problems and proposing possible fixes. An advice capability enables user specification of high-level guidelines for plans that the system helps to enforce. Finally, PASSAT includes process facilitation mechanisms designed to help a user track and manage outstanding planning tasks and information requirements, as a means of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning process. PASSAT is designed for applications for which a core of planning knowledge can be captured in predefined action models but where significant user control of the planning process is required.