The term “knowledge-based decision support” refers to software systems that use explicitly modeled knowledge (e.g. rules, guidelines, expert knowledge, case libraries, ontologies) to support organizational decision-making. The goal is to systematically evaluate decision alternatives, make risks and impacts transparent, and derive action recommendations – for example in complex expert decisions, risk assessment, or compliance-related decisions.
Knowledge Base Management: Central maintenance and versioning of rules, policies, decision trees, FAQs, and case knowledge (e.g. best practices, reference cases).
Rule and Inference Engines: Automated application of if–then rules, decision trees, or ontologies to derive recommendations or decisions.
Explanation and Justification Features: Transparent display of why a certain recommendation, rating, or decision has been proposed (e.g. based on specific rules).
Scenario and What-if Analysis: Simulation of alternatives and parameter variations to compare the impact of different decision options.
Risk Assessment and Scoring: Classification of risks, opportunities, or priorities based on predefined sets of criteria and scoring models.
Integration with Master Data and Line-of-Business Systems: Integration of ERP, CRM, HR, or production data to ensure that decisions are based on current and consistent information.
Role- and Context-Specific Recommendations: Adapting suggestions and information to the user’s role, area of responsibility, and decision context.
Guided Decision Processes: Structured decision dialogs with questions, checklists, and wizards that guide users step by step through complex decisions.
Compliance and Policy Checking: Automated validation of decisions against internal policies, legal requirements, and industry standards.
Learning and Feedback Mechanisms: Capturing user feedback and decision outcomes to continuously improve rules, knowledge base, and recommendations.
A hospital information system supports physicians in diagnosis and therapy decisions by combining medical guidelines, drug interaction knowledge, and patient data.
A credit decision system evaluates applications based on scoring rules, creditworthiness policies, and risk models and provides recommendations on loan approval.
A service desk tool suggests solutions for recurring incidents and requests to support agents based on a structured knowledge base.
A configure–price–quote (CPQ) solution guides sales staff through complex configuration rules and only allows technically and commercially valid product variants.
A compliance platform automatically checks planned activities (e.g. marketing campaigns, contract clauses) against internal policies and regulatory requirements and flags violations.