Intended to provide a frame of reference for a symposium on automated aids to instructional design and development (ID), this paper accomplishes three tasks: (1) it outlines problems encountered in ID--e.g., complexity of curriculum planning and instruction development, quality maintenance in the ID process and products, and cost effectiveness--in order to show the need for improved procedures and automated aiding systems; (2) it describes various classes of functions the aids might serve--data-base management, instructional design decision-making, material production, personnel training--relates them to the programs discussed by the other symposium participants; and (3) it makes some conjectures about the potential of developments in intelligent computing for assisting ID. A list of references is provided. (Author/JD)