A case-based reasoning system for using functional performance specification in the briefing of building projects

Functional Performance Specification (FPS) is a structured requirement analysis process, in which client requirements are firstly defined with functions and relevant evaluation criteria — functional performance. This paper describes a Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) system recommending functions and functional performance to facilitate the use of FPS in the briefing of building projects. It begins with an introduction to the briefing practice and the problems of using FPS in briefing, followed by proposing a structural job plan of FPS. Next, the CBR system design is described and how it supports the use of FPS is illustrated. Finally, the competence of the system is evaluated with two experiments, which demonstrate that the CBR system is a highly promising tool for facilitating the use of FPS. The future research work concerning addressing the shortcomings of the CBR system identified in the experiments is also noted.