A Case For Soft Systems Methodology. Information Analysis And Information Systems Evaluation During Organizational Change

The complex relationship between organizations, information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) indicates that changes to the organization are likely to have an effect on the usefulness of existing IS and the success of IS projects. Information needs of new and existing users have to be assessed and organizational IS evaluated for their capability to satisfy these needs. This paper describes a real world case study during which Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) was used for information analysis and IS evaluation during organizational change. The research indicates that the methodology provides a suitable framework for inquiry in a complex situation, where roles are ill-defined and political tensions are rife. The use of SSM helped the researcher make sense of the situation under consideration and provided positive, concrete outcomes for the case study organization.