Problem formalization techniques for collaborative systems

The division of intellectual labor required to solve complex problems demands that those problems be decomposed and distributed among available “laborers.” One well-developed notion in shared problem solving is collaboration, the distribution of problem solving activities to group or system members based on their capabilities. Although collaboration enjoys wide-spread acceptance, the type of problems best suited to collaboration and principles for the purposeful design of collaborative systems have not yet been developed. This paper explores problem formalization techniques, including modeling, structuring, decomposition, and allocation aspects, to implicate the types of problems best suited to collaboration as well as requisite capabilities of collaborative problem-solving systems