Soft Systems Methodology
Soft Systems Methodology is an analysis and design methodology in the context of systems analysis , which in the 1960s by Peterscheck country at the University of Lancaster was developed. SSM tries to find a comprehensive improvement by taking a holistic view of a problem situation and analyzing how the individual pieces correspond to one another. Not only technical in the broadest sense, but also factors of corporate culture are taken into account.
Particular attention is paid to the separation of the real problem situation, which is perceived as chaotic and problematic, and the theoretical system model that is created to structure the thought processes. The model serves as a communication tool to visualize the situation. However, it is not interpreted as a model of the real situation, nor as a model of how the situation should be.
The aim of an SSM analysis is to uncover unconscious and hidden problem factors, to show possible ways of improvement, to test these for their technical and cultural feasibility and finally to implement the improvements.
See also
literature
- Peter Checkland, Jim Scholes: Soft Systems Methodology in Action . Wiley, New York 1999. ISBN 0-471-98605-4
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jim Underwood (Department of Information Systems / University of Technology Sidney): Models for Change: Soft Systems Methodology.Retrieved December 11, 2008.