A computerized knowledge management system for the manufacturing strategy process Nikos Karacapilidis * , Emmanuel Adamides, Christina Evangelou Industrial Management and Information Systems Lab, MEAD, University of Patras, 26500 Rio Patras, Greece Received 23 September 2004; accepted 21 July 2005 Available online 13 October 2005 Abstract This paper presents Co-MASS, a computerized knowledge management system for the collaborative development of manufacturing and operations strategy. The system supports the social and knowledge processes of collaborative strategy development by integrating a domain- specific modelling formalism based on the resource view of the firm, an associated structured dialogue scheme, an argumentation-enabling mechanism, and an efficient algorithm for the evaluation of alternatives. The competence-based manufacturing strategy paradigm behind its design rationale, its main elements, and a use case in a real setting are presented. Evaluation results provided positive feedback for the usability of the system, the discourse structure and the functionality of the user interface. The main contribution of our system lies in the integration of knowledge management, decision support and argumentation features, which constitutes a novel approach to develop manufacturing strategy. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Collaborative problem solving; Manufacturing strategy; Knowledge management; Strategic decision making 1. Introduction The development of an organisation’s strategy, at both corporate and functional level, is a complex and ill-structured task, usually undertaken by a team of managers with diverse backgrounds representing different units [1,2]. Independent of the planning horizon and the scope of the final decision, strategy formulation is a knowledge-intensive process that may be reduced to problem resolution, no matter whether it concerns opportunity seizing, goal attainment or defensive moves. Empirical research suggests that to accommodate different views through the process of retrieving, considering and evaluating alternatives, the strategy formulation process moves from a divergence of opinions and views towards their convergence to agreed action items [2]. Obviously, the more different perspectives are initially taken into account, the greater the complexity of convergence, but the smaller the chances of addressing the wrong problem and reaching an inadequate solution [3,4]. At the functional level, the manufacturing and operations strategy formulation process has attracted considerable interest over the last 20 years. In this direction, a number of authors, influenced by the application of the ‘‘rationalist’’ paradigm of strategy, have proposed tools and procedures for assessing the manufacturing function’s internal and external environment at a particular instance in time, and for identifying the actions needed to achieve fit among them (e.g. [5–10]). In all cases, there is the inherent assumption that all manufacturing-related knowledge can be gathered, qualified and codified by a single person, or in a series of facilitated sessions involving manufacturing-language literate managers. In practice, how- ever, the manufacturing function of the modern corporation is closely related to other functions, such as marketing and product development [9], and the overall formulation of its strategy is a slow iterative process, usually requiring the involvement of managers with diverse backgrounds being situated in remote sites, which may even be in different countries [11]. Yet, given the dynamic and unpredictable nature of environmental changes, as well as the dynamic evolution of the related resources, purely rationalistic approaches to manufacturing strategy formulation seem to be insufficient www.elsevier.com/locate/compind Computers in Industry 57 (2006) 178–188 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +30 2610 997906; fax: +30 2610 997260. E-mail addresses: nikos@mech.upatras.gr (N. Karacapilidis), adamides@mech.upatras.gr (E. Adamides), chriseva@mech.upatras.gr (C. Evangelou). 0166-3615/$ – see front matter # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.compind.2005.07.001