The Common KADS Agent Model

Synopsis The Common-KADS agent model is described. In the rst part, the rationale and model structure are described, and the states of model development are deened. In the second part, diierent approaches to model development are discussed, and some methods and guidelines for model development are given. In this version of the document, the second part of the document has been further developed, with emphasis on the chapters "Approaches" and "Case studies". Changes and additional development to earlier version of the document Changes to model structure: The initiative constituent of the Communication Model (previously empty) has been removed.The relation participates-in is substituted by two relations: initiates and participates-in. The relations between the agent model and the task and organistion models have been slightly changed. Some of these changes have been made to make the information coherent with these models. Some model incoherencies persist, as discussed below. All changes of the model structure are subject to approval from the model coherence committee. The sections on model rationale and development strategies have been slightly rewritten as a result of recent experiences of agent model construction. The second part of the paper has been rewritten to account for intra-model relationships in the development strategy. A second case example has been included. The model coherency has been updated with respect to the communication, organisation, task and design models. The following discrepancies persist: In the task model document, there is a link between the "capabilities" consistuents for tasks and an agent. In our view, this link should be replaced by a direct link between the task model capabilities and the capabilities of the agent assigned the task, denoting a subset relation. (The required capabilities should be a subset of the agents acutal capabilities.) Currently, no such link has been added to the agent model. A link has been added between the resource constituent of the organisation model and the agent constituent of the agent model. This link signiies that a computer resource may realise an agent, and was discussed at the Common-KADS plenary in June-93., although the link is not depicted in the organisation model document.