A New Component in the Classification of DSS Development Tools

Despite a dramatic evolution in technology during the last twenty years, Sprague’s Framework for the Development of Decision Support Systems (introduced in 1980) has remained unchanged until today and still offers a strong basis on which many current DSSs rely. However, the interpretation of this framework by the DSS community evolved as years went by, bringing the classification in line with current technological improvements, thereby blurring the boundaries between its various components. This paper analyzes this evolution and shows that the current interpretation of Sprague’s framework breaks the natural balance of the original framework. Then, it proposes the inclusion of a new component in order to round off the spectrum of decision-making situations that require the development of Specific DSSs.