Abstract: A system for assisting a user in making decisions on a task through the asking of questions about the task and providing answer choices to the questions for the user. The system includes a set of question procedures which include a reference to another procedure and also answer procedures which include references to other procedures. Questions are dynamically generated by executing a question procedure which, in turn, calls a referenced procedure to generate a result based on one or more previous answers by the user. The referenced procedure passes the result to the question procedure for use in generating the question. The same process is used for dynamically generating answer choices for the questions. The referenced procedures may include, among others things, fetches of previous answers, conditional statements that choose among possible results based on a previous answer, or references to still other procedures. With this system, the questions and answers are kept current as the user moves through them.

Abstract: A computer-based method for assisting a user in making decisions in the process of completing a task is shown and described. The method of the system includes providing a set of questions for completing the task, asking the user a first question from the set, and providing a choice of answers to the first question. The system also provides advice from its knowledge base for deciding which of the answers to the first question to select. The choice of answer, however, remains under the control of the user, who can exercise judgment based on the user's expertise and the advice provided by the decision management system. The method continues by asking following questions, with the following questions, answers and advice influenced by the user's previous answers. Throughout the decision-making process, the user retains control of the answers if so desired, with the system providing advice from its knowledge base.

Abstract: A system for assisting a user in making decisions on a task through the asking of questions about the task and providing answer choices to the questions for the user. The system includes a set of question procedures which include a reference to another procedure and also answer procedures which include references to other procedures. Questions are dynamically generated by executing a question procedure which, in turn, calls a referenced procedure to generate a result based on one or more previous answers by the user. The referenced procedure passes the result to the question procedure for use in generating the question. The same process is used for dynamically generating answer choices for the questions. The referenced procedures may include, among other things, fetches of previous answers, conditional statements that choose among possible results based on a previous answer, or references to still other procedures. With this system, the questions and answers are kept current as the user moves through them.

Abstract: An authoring method and apparatus for creating an application for a decision management system such as a document assembly system. The method includes creating sets of question procedures, answer procedures and advice procedures for a particular application. When later executed, the procedures generate, respectively, questions, answer choices, and advice for a user of the application. Also created are procedures that may be referenced in on or more of the question, answer, or advice procedures for generating content based on an analysis of one or more answers previously provided by a user in response to a question. The content provided by these referenced procedures becomes part of the question, answer, or advice provided by the respective procedure making the reference. In this way the content of the questions, answers, and advice changes depending upon previous answers given by a user to previous questions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for assisting a user in completing a task through the asking of questions about the task and providing answer choices to the questions for the user. The method includes storing a set of question procedures which include a reference to another procedure and storing answer procedures for the question procedures, which also include references to other procedures.Questions are dynamically generated by executing a question procedure which, in turn, calls a referenced procedure to generate a result based on one or more previous answers by the user. The referenced procedure passes the result to the questions procedure for use in generating the question. The same process is used for dynamically generating answer choices for the questions. The referenced procedures may include, among others, fetches of previous answers, conditional statements that choose among possible results based on a previous answer, or references to still other procedures.