Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is a general problem structuring approach that seeks to incorporate multiple stakeholder views in the analysis of a given problem. When applied to IS development, the method requires negotiation and debate between the stakeholders when exploring the feasibility of developing an information system. The applicability of this approach depends, however, on the willing...

The effectiveness of socio-technical approaches, such as the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), to structure problematic situations is dependent on the candid communication of participants. This paper reports a pilot study using SSM to explore the challenges of establishing the Ideal Speech Situation in order to gain an understanding of the contradictory perceptions of graffiti. Through exploring ...

Soft System Dynamics Methodology (SSDM), a systemic methodology product of the combination of two widely used systems-based methodologies from two different systems thinking paradigms, Systems Dynamics (SD) and Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), is presented. The paper argues that by combining some of SD and SSM stages, within the intellectual framework proposed by SSDM, a methodology developed by...

Husserlian phenomenology has been used to provide (or perhaps “evoke”) the rationale for the use of soft systems approaches in both information systems (IS) research and IS development. The purpose of this brief paper is to encourage a debate about the feasibility and coherence of such projects. A (fairly) typical “interpretive” IS methodology (Soft Systems Methodology) is critically analysed u...

Discrete event simulation (DES) studies in healthcare are thought to benefit from stakeholder participation during the study lifecycle. This paper reports on a multi-methodology framework, called PartiSim that is intended to support participative simulation studies. PartiSim combines DES, a traditionally hard OR approach, with Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) in order to incorporate stakeholder i...

New concepts are described to SSM (Soft Systems Methodology) conceptual models, which are tools for system analysis supporting the application of simulation including decisions about parallel simulation in an organisational environment. A meta-methodology facing with unstructured problems in simulation projects and also supporting parallel simulation is formulated.

This paper is about organizational competence in development of computer-based information systems. We address this theme by demonstrating and reflecting upon a systematic and inexpensive approach to surface organizational competence in initial analysis and design of an information system. The approach relies on the specific organizational competence of the actors already in the organization. C...