Lecture
socio-organizational issues and stakeholder requirements –Part 2
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Today’s Topics
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Introduction to Soft System Methodology
 System
 SSM introduction
 SSM activities
 CATWOE model
 Conceptual modeling
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Participatory Design
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Soft System Methodology -SSM
Soft systems methodology (SSM) is a systemic approach for tackling real-world
problematic situations.
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Developed primarily by Peter Checkland (UK) as a result of 30 years research work.
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Published in 1981.
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Systems Thinking and SSM
First we will look into
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Properties of systems
What are “Hard” and “soft” approaches?
Introduction to Soft Systems Methodology
Some SSM techniques
 First….
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What is a system?
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What is systems thinking?
 A systems typology
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Natural systems – living and non-living, from subatomic to ecosystems and galaxies.
Designed systems
 Physical, e.g. train, chainsaw, dam
 Abstract, systems of knowledge or philosophy
Human activity systems – “purposeful wholes”, e.g. the gas industry, the City Council.
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Social systems – overlap natural and human activity systems, e.g. family.
(Checkland, 1981)
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Socio-Technical Systems
Systems ideas have been applied to organizational behaviour in many ways.
For example, the concept of socio-technical systems sees organizational systems as having
 Technical subsystem – formal processes, tasks, machinery, programs, with official
goals, etc.
 Social subsystem – human concerns & needs; personal goals, views & interests;
communications, motivation, job satisfaction etc.
 Characteristics of Systems
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A boundary
Hierarchy – parts which may themselves be systems
Emergence
 Systems (and subsystems) have properties which their contituent parts do not
possess
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 Examples of emergent properties?
Communication – parts can interact
Control processes – to ensure continuity
Control - Feedback
Control - Feedforward
Open & closed systems
Open systems
 Interact with their environment through inputs and outputs that cross the system
boundary
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 Include organizational and living systems
Closed systems
 Don’t interact with their environment.
 (Or, take in only energy, e.g. the biosphere or various mechanical gadgets.)
These are best viewed as relative terms.
Two well known phrases
Reductionism.
Simplification for analysis
Computer people do this often!
Holism
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Dividing into parts loses connectedness & emergent properties.
 “Hard” and “soft” problems
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Hard problems:
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Soft problems:
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Hard and soft systems thinking
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 Structured, clear when a solution is found,
 Subject to reasoning, problems about “how”.
 Often in engineering, science. Dealing with blown fuse, designing a bridge, etc.
 Unstructured, messy, no clear solutions.
 Questions about “what” to do.
 Often in organisations, social situations, politics – situations involving people.
“Hard” systems thinking treats parts of the world as systems, and investigates/ engineers
them. Systems taken to exist.
“Soft” systems thinking uses a process of enquiry which is systemic. This uses systems
models to help find out about the real world, so we may explore the consequences of
choosing to view elements as if they were systems, but the systems we model are notional,
not representations of the world.
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(See Checkland, 1999)
Experience teaches:
“Hard” problems are susceptible to “hard” approaches
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“Soft” problems need “soft” approaches.
What is SSM?
A systemic process of learning
For exploring problem situations in organisations
For suggesting changes which will be helpful and achievable
SSM - Basic Overview
SSM Overview - activities
Using SSM
Not intended as a prescriptive set of steps.
Start anywhere, finish anywhere, repeat ad lib.
Adapt as necessary.
 Why SSM?
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Practical and flexible approach to managing change
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Holistic approach that takes a wide range of factors into account, inc. social and political
aspects
Aims to suggest change that is meaningful and feasible in the organisational context
Can be highly participative
Why SSM for IS?
It’s NOT a complete development method.
But has been extended with techniques for IS
Useful for IS-related problem “solving.”
Used in
 Feasibility
 Requirements capture
 IS Planning
The aim is to have systems which are seen as relevant, fit the organisation, and are used.
Example SSM IS projects
Recording the activities of community health workers
Decision support in a marketing company
Providing mission briefings for fighter pilots
Managing assignment submission for distance learners
SSM Overview - activities
Entering the problem situation
“A situation in which there are perceived to be problems”
Don’t concentrate on “the” problem
We may enter the problem situation as external consultants, or work on our own problem
situations.
What to put in a rich picture
Structure, e.g.
 departmental or organisation boundaries,
 geographical considerations,
 people and institutions.
Process - activities, information or material flows.
Climate - the relationship between structure and process, and any associated problems.
‘Soft facts’ - concerns, conflicts, views.
Environment - external interested bodies, factors affecting the organisation.
Commonly used symbols
SSM Overview - activities
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Thinking about the problem situation
What important tasks are taking place?
What issues have you identified?
Name “relevant systems” (of human activity)
Relevant systems
Relevant to exploring, debating and changing the problem situation
Relevant from some “world view” - Weltanschauung
More than one - choose a variety of views, ideas
Phrase as “A system to ….”
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Relevant systems (2)
Primary task systems deal with the main task of the organisation, from some viewpoint.
Issue-based systems deal with issues, problems etc.
Not always a clear-cut distinction, but aim to include both!
SSM Overview - activities
Root definition (1)
Short definition of a relevant system
Defines who would be involved, purpose, viewpoint from which it’s defined,
“A system to….”
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We usually work with several definitions
Root definition (2)
“Who is doing what for whom, to whom are they answerable, what assumptions are
being made, and in what environment.”
(Checkland)
However, we use the CATWOE terminology
CATWOE
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 Identify the W that makes them meaningful and the main transformation.
 Remember: NOT a description of what happens in the real world.
Customers
Actors
beneficiaries/victims
those who do T
Transformation
input  output
Weltanschauung
world view, makes T meaningful
Owner responsible (who could stop T?)
Environment “givens”, constraints
Building RD & using CATWOE
Either:
 Write a root definition,
 Validate it using CATWOE as a checklist
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 Define any missing elements
 Rewrite RD to include them
Or:
 Define CATWOE
 Write a RD that includes all of them.
 Some leading practitioners criticise this approach.
Root Definition Example
A Department of Computing owned system by which academic staff define a unit syllabus in
accordance with university standards for unit definition such that the unit will make the
expected contribution to the route, provide clear learning objectives for students and be
deliverable in practice within the constraints on staff time and other resources within the
department.
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C
CATWOE for unit planning example
CStudents
AAcademic staff
T
Route’s requirement for unit  requirement met
by unit syllabus
meeting criteria stated (i.e.
objectives, deliverable in practice)
W
Importance of clear definition of units to route planning and student
learning; units should have a defined place within the route.
O
Department
E University standards for unit definition, time and
resource constraints
Another RD example
A system to provide regular checkups, advice and treatment to diabetic adults in the
Southdown & Downsville area by means of outpatient appointments at Southdown General
Hospital in order to empower them to control their diabetes.
CATWOE for clinic RD
A
T
W
O
E
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CATWOE from clinic RD
C - diabetic adults in the Southdown & Downsville area
A-?
T - patients with current level of support --> patients with the necessary support, advice
and treatment to enable them to manage their diabetes
W - O/P care can provide support that will enable people to control their diabetes.
Patients as responsible managers of their own treatment, not passive recipients
O-?
E - SGH, O/P clinic, Southdown & Downsville area
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Revised CATWOE for clinic RD
Cdiabetic adults in the Southdown & Downsville area
Amedical, nursing & admin staff of the clinic.
Tpatients with current level of support --> patients with the necessary support,
advice and treatment to enable them to manage their diabetes
WO/P care can provide support that will enable people to control their diabetes.
Patients as responsible actors in their own treatment, not passive recipients
OSGH management
ESGH, O/P clinic, Southdown & Downsville area, HA budget and staffing
constraints.
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Revised clinic RD
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An SGH-management-owned system, staffed by medical, nursing and clerical staff of the
hospital and operating within the Health Authority’s constraints on budget and staffing, to
provide regular checkups, advice and treatment to diabetic adults in the Southdown &
Downsville area by means of outpatient clinic visits at Southdown General Hospital, in
order to ensure that all are empowered to control their diabetes.
SSM Overview - activities
Conceptual modelling
Identify minimum necessary set of activities
 Define topics & time allocation
 Document unit to university standards
 Appreciate university standards for unit definition
 Appreciate unit’s expected contribution to route
 Define learning objectives
 Decide method of delivery
 Appreciate time & resource constraints
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Conceptual model
The 3 (or 5) E’s
Efficacy: does the means work, does it actually achieve the transformation?
Efficiency: does it use the minimum necessary resources?
Effectiveness: is the transformation meeting the longer term aim?
Also Ethicality and Elegance.
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SSM Overview
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Participatory Design
Users are actively involved in development
Should be used if you want to draw on existing artifacts
Not suited for radical design changes
Participatory Design (Cont.)
Data collection
 Observations, interviews, collaborative design and cooperative prototyping guided
by a well-defined research question
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Data analysis
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Outcome
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Participatory Design (Cont.)
Examples of paper based prototyping techniques for participatory design
 Analyze artifacts at breakdowns
 Analyze videos, interviews and prototypes collected from sessions with the users
 Working with the users, the product is evolved from the existing artifact
 Pictive
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Some design components are prepared by the developers
Pen, pencil, sticky notes, paper etc. are used by the users
Video recording devices are used to record what happens
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PICTIVE
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Participatory Design (Cont.)
 Card
 The same principle as Pictive but with screen dumps
 The cards are used to explore workflow options with the user
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Summary
Soft systems methodology takes a broader view of human and organizational issues.
Participatory Methodology
Keeps users’ expectations in check
Users’ thinking can be constrained to what they are used to
Whenever users are available and willing to take part in the design