A method that compares now to the goal, then closes the gap step by step.
Means-Ends Analysis is like leaving for school in pajamas. You compare “me now” with “me ready,” then fix one gap at a time.
AI uses it to plan or solve problems. It turns a big goal into smaller steps.
GPS
GPS uses Means-Ends Analysis to break a problem into doable subgoals.
Planning
Planning uses it to work backward from the goal to the next action.
Heuristic Search
Means-Ends Analysis uses the current gap as a clue for the next move.
Symbolic AI
Means-Ends Analysis came from Symbolic AI and its model of human problem solving.