ABSTRACT
Much of the iterative nature can be removed from the planning process, if a synthesis approach is adopted. The essential difference between the analysis-based and synthesis-based procedures is in the level of abstraction adopted in the computations. (The terminology ‘level of abstraction’ is used in the sense relating to the quantity of a priori data assumed.) Analysis-based techniques impose a total project configuration ab initio, while the plan emerges from any given level of abstraction as a natural consequence of the direct synthetic treatment. Presumably the extreme generality that may be attained in the direct case would involve little or no a priori knowledge of the emerging project. However, for a solution of practical significance, certain leading properties of the project are best assumed. The choice of abstraction level on which the planner chooses to work would be a balance between his/her expertise-based judgements and desired computation load. A synthesistype treatment can only proceed where certain of the project properties remain free and adjustable. A synthesis-type format to planning is the fundamental approach.
