Practical Soft Systems Analysis

Primarily this book demonstrates how to interpret and apply soft systems concepts in practical situations. It bridges the gap between pragmatists and academics in the systems field by approaching the subject from a practical viewpoint, first translating the language of systems into common parlance, examining the difficulties that occur in practice and overcoming them, and providing substantial examples of real-life applications based on the author's extensive experience. The first part explains systems concepts in general, with particular reference to formal systems models and attributes, and then distinguishes between hard and soft systems models. The second part details each stage of a soft systems examination - its purpose, model development, the use of rich pictures, the terminology, methods of information collection and analysis, performance measures, control mechanisms, and client involvement. The final part provides the full practical element, beginning with the types of application that can benefit from soft systems analysis, followed by a comprehensive illustration of its use in organisational analysis based on a local authority social services department, a study carried out as part of an Esprit project, and finishing with a paradigmatic information model of an organization that can be used to improve the information base or the communication system. A final chapter is an example of the use of soft systems ideas to set up and implement an audit of procedures, whether low or high level.