Soft Systems Methodology
Week2 Analyzing Information Use in Organizations: Soft Systems Methodology
Types of problems
Hard problems Problems can be well defined Assumption of definite goals and solutions Can pre-define criteria for determining success Technologically oriented Soft problems: Difficult to define – problem, goals, evaluation criteria High social, political and human activity component Sometimes soft problems are “wicked” problems! We only interested in soft problems as there are hard to define! We need to use methodology to define problems first.
Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) Soft Systems Analysis: The use of systems ideas to analyze (i.e. examine) situations to identify where problems could exist. Note: SSM deals with ︎problem situations︎ not ︎problems︎︎per se
Premise – Reality is socially constructed and therefore requirements are not objective A response to ‘hard’ systems thinking and reductionism
Different people have different ideas of what the problem is. Rationale
Problem situations are fuzzy (not structured) and solutions not readily apparent Defining the objective is part of the problem Impact of computerization is not always positive Full exploitation of computerization may need radical restructuring of human activity systems (e.g. work processes)
Applying SSM to Information Systems Information Systems typically exist in situations where there are VERY DIFFERENT world views, e.g., views of owners, managers, staff and clients.
Types of problems
Hard problems Problems can be well defined Assumption of definite goals and solutions Can pre-define criteria for determining success Technologically oriented Soft problems: Difficult to define – problem, goals, evaluation criteria High social, political and human activity component Sometimes soft problems are “wicked” problems! We only interested in soft problems as there are hard to define! We need to use methodology to define problems first.
Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) Soft Systems Analysis: The use of systems ideas to analyze (i.e. examine) situations to identify where problems could exist. Note: SSM deals with ︎problem situations︎ not ︎problems︎︎per se
Premise – Reality is socially constructed and therefore requirements are not objective A response to ‘hard’ systems thinking and reductionism
Different people have different ideas of what the problem is. Rationale
Problem situations are fuzzy (not structured) and solutions not readily apparent Defining the objective is part of the problem Impact of computerization is not always positive Full exploitation of computerization may need radical restructuring of human activity systems (e.g. work processes)
Applying SSM to Information Systems Information Systems typically exist in situations where there are VERY DIFFERENT world views, e.g., views of owners, managers, staff and clients.
