Reflections on the Past and Future of Decision Support Systems: Perspective of Eleven Pioneers

Sometimes we must look backwards before moving forward. This chapter provides an overview of the field of decision support systems (DSS), including a brief history and a progress report of a related ongoing research project. The project explores the perceptions and opinions of distinguished DSS researchers who made significant contributions to the DSS field. These individuals are pioneers in the field of computerized decision support. The analysis of reflections of eleven DSS pioneers are reported, including: James F. Courtney, Paul Gray, Clyde W. Holsapple, George P. Huber, William H. Inmon, Frank F. Land, Andrew M. McCosh, Michael S. Scott Morton, Gerald R. Wagner, Hugh J. Watson and Andrew Whinston. The interviewees provided an interesting commentary on the journeys they pursued in advancing methods and tools for supporting decision making. There is a clear consensus among the interviewees that much remains to be done to improve decision making with DSS. Developers need to capitalize on advancements in information technologies and increase the sophistication of DSS to meet users’ needs and expectations.

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