How to decentralize decisions through GRAI model in production management

Our Laboratory has been working in the field of Production Management for over a decade. Our research has been made in a pragmatic way, alternating analyses on the ground, research for solutions to formulated problems and experiments of possible solutions back on the ground. We have particularly looked into the structure of Production Management Systems (PMS) because we have noticed the lack in existing of a global model and the difficulty in drawing up some specifications for these systems. During our research of a global structure, we have been quickly faced with a lack of PMS efficiency in driving the physical system. The complexity of this structure led us to split it up into more and more simple elements drawing our approach from MELESE concepts [1]. But ASHBY concepts dealing with variety have led us to split up again and to decentralize decision centers in order to make possible the driving of PMS [2]. In this paper we will present the model which has allowed us to design a specific PMS organized into a hierarchy with a decentralized decision center.