Representing and Scheduling Satisficing Tasks

A satisficing solution to a problem is one that is “good enough” or satisfactory in a particular situation. Because of the lack of task predictability, and interdependences among tasks it is desirable to use both approximate solutions for tasks and approximate scheduling algorithms for scheduling task execution. Iterative refinement and the use of multiple methods are two approaches that achieve satisficing behavior. This paper examines these approaches including their effects on task monitoring and on sharing intermediate results among tasks. The design-to-time approach to scheduling satisficing tasks is then discussed.