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<Paper uid="W00-0309">
  <Title>Task-based dialog management using an agenda</Title>
  <Section position="8" start_page="46" end_page="46" type="concl">
    <SectionTitle>
6 Summary and Conclusions
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> The agenda-based approach addresses the problem of dialog management in complex problem-solving tasks. It does so by treating the task at hand as one of cooperatively constructing a complex data structure, a product, and uses this structure to guide the task. The product consists of a tree of handlers, each handler encapsulates processing relevant to a particular schema. Handlers correspond to simple or compound schema, the latter acting essentially as multi-slOi=fofms. A handler encapsulates knowledge n~cessary for interacting about a specific information slot, including specification of user and system language and of interactions with domain agents. Handlers that deal with compound schema coordinate tightly bound schema and correspond to specific identifiable topics of conversation. We define tightly bound as those schema that users expect to discuss interchangeably, without explicit shifts in conversational focus.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="1"> We believe that individual handlers can be authored independently of others at the same level of hierarchy; in turn we believe this will simplify the problem of developing dialog systems by managing the complexity of the process.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="2"> The agenda contains all topics relevant to the current task. The order of handlers on the agenda determines how user input will be will be attached to product nodes. Both the system and the user however have the ability to reorder items on the agenda, the system to foreground items that need to be discussed, the user to reflect their current priorities within the task. factored out as independent pro~esses.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="3"> We believe that the agenda mechanism can be adapted easily to less-complex domains that might currently be implemented as a standard form-based system (for example a movie schedule service). We do not know as yet how well the technique will succeed for domains of complexity comparable to travel planning but with different task structure.</Paragraph>
  </Section>
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