Predictability Versus Responsiveness: Coordinating Problem Solvers in Dynamic Domains

Coordination in dynamic domains involves balanc ing predictability and responsiveness agents must be predictable enough to anticipate and plan fu ture interactions while being responsive enough to react to unexpected situations The partial global planning approach to coordination provides a framework for exibly balancing these oppos ing needs In this approach agents communi cate about their current local plans to build up partial global plans PGPs that specify cooper ative actions and interactions When their plans change agents must decide whether the time and e ort of reformulating their PGPs is worthwhile or whether working predictably with slightly out of date PGPs is more cost e ective In this pa per we brie y outline the partial global planning approach discuss how it exibly balances pre dictability and responsiveness and experimentally show how di erent balances a ect behavior in a simulated problem solving network