Case-based reasoning (CBR) systems can support diagnosis of complex in
dustrial systems. The success of a diagnostic CBR system depends on it
s ability to retrieve previous cases that provide information to solve
a new case. To this end, the new case must be adequately described. H
owever, to describe a new case in an ill-structured diagnostic decisio
n environment requires considerable domain knowledge and is dependent
on the strategies used by a decision maker. In this paper, we develop
a framework for the development of an adaptive agent that can assist a
decision maker describe a new case to a diagnostic CBR system. The ad
aptive agent is dynamic and provides its recommendations based on the
diagnostic strategy of a decision maker. An empirical evaluation of th
e proposed framework in the diagnostic of complex industrial machinery
supports its effectiveness.