STATE-OF-THE-PRACTICE IN KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEM VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION

The majority of the work in knowledge-based system verification and validation (KBS V&V) has focused on developing techniques and concepts for performing V&V on expert systems. Little information is available on what V&V practices are currently in use by expert system developers. This article describes the results of a survey whose purpose was to begin documenting some of the experiences and problems KBS developers have encountered. The results of the survey suggest that current practices can be improved and some specific recommendations are included. The recommendations include developing requirements for expert system V&V, addressing common issues, recommending a life cycle for expert systems development, addressing readability and modularity issues, and investigating applicability of analysis tools.