992SMS T3 Paper Report 20110326 Soft Systems Methodology

8/3/2019 992SMS T3 Paper Report 20110326 Soft Systems Methodology

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2011 . 03 . 26

Soft Systems Methodology

-Peter Checkland Soft Systems Methodology: A ThirtyYearRetrospective Systems Research and Behavioral

Science Syst. Res. 17, S11S58 (2000)


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Agenda

y Overview

y History

y The 7-Stage Approach of SSM

y CATWOE

y Conceptual Models of Human Activity Systems

y Outcomes and applications of SSM


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Overview

y Problem

y Situation


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Overview

y Hard v.s. Soft

y v.s.

y Structured Systems Analysis and DesignMethodology

y

Soft systems methodology

: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_systemshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_systems_methodology


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Overview

y Soft systems methodology

y is a framework which does not force or lead the

systems analyst to a particular solution, rather to anunderstanding

-- Hirschheim et al. (1995:242)

: http://www.idi.ntnu.no/grupper/su/publ/html/totland/ch0526.htm

Beyond the information systems outsourcing bandwagon: The insourcing response--- Lacity, Mary Cecelia & Hirschheim, R. A.


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History

y 1966 Gwilym Jenkins , University of Lancaster

y

1969 Peter Checkland

Brian Wilson

y Checkland, P. Systems Thinking, Systems Practice,

John Wiley & Sons, London, 1981.y Soft Systems Methodology: A Thirty Year

Retrospectivea

: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_systems_methodology


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The 7-Stage Approach of SSM

y entering the problem situation,

y expressing the problem situation,

y formulating root definitions of relevant systems,

y building Conceptual Models of Human ActivitySystems,

y comparing the models with the real world,

y

defining changes that are desirable and feasible, andy taking action to improve the real world situation.

:Checkland, P. (1981) Systems Thinking, Systems Practice


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: http://www.idi.ntnu.no/grupper/su/publ/html/totland/ch0526.htm


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CATWOE

y Game Rule

y Criterion

y


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CATWOE

y Clients Who are the beneficiaries or victims of thisparticular system? (Who would benefit or suffer fromits operations?)

y Actors Who are responsible for implementing thissystem? (Who would carry out the activities whichmake this system work?)



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CATWOE

y Transformation What transformation does thissystem bring about? (What are the inputs and whattransformation do they go through to become the

outputs?)y Weltanschauung (or Worldview) What particular

worldview justifies the existence of this system?(What point of view makes this system meaningful?)



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CATWOE

y Owner Who has the authority to abolish thissystem or change its measures of performance?

y Environmental constraints Which external

constraints does this system take as a given?



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Conceptual Models of Human Activity Systems

y To represent a viewpoint

y Not intended to represent real worlds objects

: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_systems

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_systems_methodology


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y Form of bubble diagrams

y Descriptions of activities are enclosed in bubbles

y Bubbles link to each other by arrows

y Arrows are intended to represent logical dependency




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1. Using verbs in the imperative

2. Write down activities necessary to carry out thetransformation

3. Aim for 7 plus or minus 2 activities that are at thesame scale

4. Select activities which could be done at once

(Soft Systems - Modified December 2005, Bob Williams, The Kellogg Foundation)


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5. Place these activities in a line

6. Then those are dependent on these first activities ina line

7. Continue until all are accounted for



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8. Indicate the dependencies

9. Rearrange to avoid overlapping arrows wherepossible

10. Add a means of assessing performance11. Include the aspects of the environment identified

in CATWOE

12. Check



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An ongoing purpose

A means of assessing performance

A decision taking process

Components that are also systems Components that are interact

An environment

Resources

Continuity



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:http://www.bryanhopkins.co.uk/learning_design/soft_systems.htm


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:http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=852235&show=html


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:http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jors/journal/v60/n2/full/2602542a.html


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y Checkland -

limited to a small number (seven, plus or minus two)of bubbles

y Cybernetics -the main activities are always supplemented bybubbles representing monitor and control systems

y Wilson's Information Requirements Analysis -

may expand to include hundreds of bubbles,

and the monitor and control systems are dropped.




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Outcomes and applications of SSM

y Learning system

y Part of a new paradigm for Operational Research

y A front-end for information system design




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y Address any kind of unstructured soft problem inany organizational or social context

y Function as a learning system by facilitating a

greater understanding of the problem situationy Produce various types of result by bringing out the

world views of the people involved in the problemsituation




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y Organizational design

y Information systems

y General problem solving

y Performance evaluation

y Education

y Miscellaneous




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References

y http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_systems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_systems_methodology http://www.idi.ntnu.no/grupper/su/publ/html/totland/ch0526.htm http://www.eulacias.org/materiales/caso_uy/curso_coinnovacion_2010/modulo2/materiales/

soft_systems_methodology_retrospective_checkland_2000.pdf http://www.bryanhopkins.co.uk/learning_design/soft_systems.htm

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=852235&show=html http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jors/journal/v60/n2/full/2602542a.html

y Checkland, P. (1981) Systems Thinking, Systems Practice

y Peter Checkland (2000),Soft Systems Methodology: A Thirty YearRetrospective Systems

Research and Behavioral Science Syst. Res. 17, S11S58 Lacity, Mary Cecelia & Hirschheim, R. A. Beyond the information systems outsourcing

bandwagon: The insourcing response Bob Williams (2005), Soft Systems - Modified December 2005

Documents

992SMS T3 Paper Report 20110326 Soft Systems Methodology