A Web Portal/Simulation Architecture to Support Collaborative Policy and Planning Decision Making

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal (1/7/2003) we are entering the second generation of knowledge management; this phase will focus on applications that acquire or generate knowledge. Decision Support Systems provide promise as applications that generate, capture, or unleash knowledge embedded within organizational systems and processes. Decision Support Systems coupled with Web technologies have the potential to lead the way in knowledge creation endeavors that can support collaborative decision-making. In this paper we describe a Web portal architecture that supports collaborative decision making efforts through joint experimentation with a simulation model of key processes. We illustrate the proposed architecture with a specific application that focuses on collaborative decision making via a Web portal and simulation model intended to support high-level manpower planning and policy decisions. However, the architecture proposed is applicable to other types of collaborative decisions, such as new product development and management of emergency manpower systems.