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Soft systems are a qualitative methodology for applying systematic approaches to complex situations with a high social, political, and human component. The Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) was developed by Peter Checkland to address organizational problems that quantitative methods could not handle. The SSM involves 7 iterative steps that include investigating the problem, mapping the situation, defining relevant systems, developing conceptual models, and comparing them with reality to identify.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
34 views4 pagesSoft Systems Questionnaire
Soft systems are a qualitative methodology for applying systematic approaches to complex situations with a high social, political, and human component. The Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) was developed by Peter Checkland to address organizational problems that quantitative methods could not handle. The SSM involves 7 iterative steps that include investigating the problem, mapping the situation, defining relevant systems, developing conceptual models, and comparing them with reality to identify.
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1.3.
2 Soft Systems
What are soft systems?
It is a qualitative technique that can be used to apply the systems
structured to the systemic situations. It is a way of dealing with
situational problems in which there is an activity with a high component
social, political, and human.
What are the classifications of SOFT SOFT systems?
Flexible and soft
Which are the flexible ones?
They are those who are endowed with behavioral characteristics, they are
living beings and undergo a change when they confront their environment. The systems
"flexibles" would typically belong to the realm of life sciences and AI.
behavioral and social sciences.
What are the DUROS?
They are identified as those in which greater importance is given to the
social part.
How is the social component of these considered?
Primordial
How is the behavior of the individual in these systems understood?
It is taken as a teleological system, with purposes, with will, a complete system.
of purposes, capable of displaying behaviors, attitudes, and aptitudes
multiple.
How did the soft systems methodology originate?
The MSB originated from the understanding that "hard" structured systems,
for example, operations research techniques are inadequate for
research topics of large and complex organizations. The Methodology of
Soft Systems was developed by Peter Checkland for the express purpose
to deal with problems of this type. He had been working in the industry
for a number of years and had worked with a certain number of methodologies
for "hard" systems. He saw how these were inadequate to deal with
the extremely complex problems that had a social component
big.
In what cases is soft systems methodology used?
In any complex organizational situation where there is an activity
component with a high social, political, and human content
What are the steps used in the soft systems methodology?
The following measures must be taken (often several are required.
repetitions):
Investigate the unstructured problem.
2. Express the problem situation through 'enriched graphs'. The
enriched graphics are the means to capture as much information as possible
possible regarding the problematic situation. An enriched graph can show
limits, the structure, information flows, and the channels of communication. But
particularly shows the human system behind the activity. This is the
element that is not included in models such as: flowcharts or models of
class.
3. Background definitions of relevant systems. What various ...
perspectives can we observe this problematic situation?
The background definitions are written as sentences that elaborate on a
transformation. There are six elements that define how well-formulated a
definition of background. They are summarized in the acronym CAPWORA:
Client. All those who can benefit from the system are considered
clients of the system. If the system involves sacrifices such as layoffs,
Then those victims should also be counted as customers.
Actors. Agents transform inputs into outputs and carry out the
activities defined in the system.
Transformation process. This is shown as the conversion of inputs.
in outputs.
Worldview. The German expression for the view of the world. This vision of
world makes the process of significant transformation in the context.
Owner. Each system has an owner, who has the power to start and
to close the system (veto power).
Environmental restrictions. These are the external elements that must be
considered. These restrictions include organizational policies as well as
legal and ethical issues.
4. Conceptual models.
The formal concept of the system.
The other structured system.
5. Comparison of 4 with 2.
6. Feasible, desirable changes.
7. Action to improve the problematic situation.
What are the benefits of soft systems methodology?
The SSM provides structure to the problematic situations of topics.
complex organizational and political issues, and can allow them to be addressed
in an organized way. It forces the user to search for a solution that does not
it is only technique.
Rigorous tool to use in 'dirty' problems.
Specific techniques
What are the risks or limitations in the systems methodology?
soft?
The SSM requires participants to adapt to the complete concept.
Be careful not to narrow the scope of the research too much.
soon.
It is difficult to create the enriched graph without the imposition of a structure and
of a specific solution to the problematic situation.
People have difficulty interpreting the world in one way.
relaxed. This often shows a compulsive desire for action
What are the conditions of the soft systems methodology?
Assume that most management and organizational problems do not
They can be considered as pure 'system problems' since the
the system is also very complex to analyze.
However, the application of a systematic approach in a situation
Asystemic is valuable.
What are the stages of the development of systems methodology?
soft ones?
1) Perception of the problem-situation in an unstructured manner
2) Perception of the problematic situation in a structured manner
3) Development of basic definitions of relevant systems
4) Development and testing of conceptual models
5) Comparison of conceptual models with reality
6) Execution of feasible and desirable changes
Implementation of changes in the real world
What are the characteristics that were developed as a result of the
application of the MSB?
It should be usable in situations of real problems.
It should not have been vague in the sense that it needed to be a greater stimulus.
for action, more than being a general philosophy of everyday life.
It did not have to be precise, as is the technique, but it should allow for discernments.
that the precision
could exclude.
It had to be such that any development in the "science of systems" could
to exclude oneself in the
