Database support for conflict detection in a computer-supported cooperative work environment

Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) requires the simultaneous consideration of a huge diversity of issues regarding a given object under design. Successful support for CSCW requires a conceptually integrated environment that can address this diversity of issues and assist with the detection and resolution of conflicts among design constraints and decisions. The Automated Constraint Refinement and Assessment Tool (AutoCRAT) is a generic tool for the top down refinement and bottom up validation of design constraints. AutoCRAT supports the diversity of issues that arise in a CSCW environment because constraints can address any aspect of the product under design and because constraints can be expressed in any language, including natural language. The focus of the paper is on the structuring facility of AutoCRAT that supports a user defined organizational structure for constraints. This structure allows constraints to be flagged, annotated, browsed and queried