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Defini t ion

Soft System Methodology is a way of dealing

with any complex, organizational situationswhere there is a high social, political andhuman activity component.

Developed primarily by Peter Checkland (UK).Published in 1981.

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1. Situat ion Considered Prob lematic

Problem owners (managers and/or employees)

recognize the problem situation. Problem owners initiate a review of tasks and

the way they are performed.

Problem solver (analyst) is called in.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.theproblemsolver.com/images/The-Problem-Solver-Mario-Costanz.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.theproblemsolver.com/&h=1225&w=1754&sz=355&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=QjgqHGU-b7VjrM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3DProblem%2Bsolver%2B%26imgsz%3Dhuge%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

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2. Prob lem Situat ion Exp ressed

Analyst collects and sorts information.

Analyst express the problem situation throughRICH PICTURES.

RICH PICTURES:

Capture as much information as possible;

Show how we can look at and think about thesystem;

Represent structure, processes, issues, informationflows, and communication channels of the

organization relevant to the problematic situation; Give an impression of the organizational climate.

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Rich Picture Example

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3. Roo t Defini t ions of Relevant Sys tems

Concise description of a human activitysystem.

Two step process:

1. Select an issue or task from a rich picture;

2. Define the system to carry out the task or addressthe issue.

Each root definition involves a certain view ofthe worlds in order to see the problematicsituation from different perspective.

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4. Conceptual Models

Conceptual model is a human activity modelthat represents the minimum set of activities

necessary to conform the root definition.

System Thinking is applied in the developmentof this model.

Monitoring: Measure of performance:

Eff icacy- does it work

Eff ic iency- How much of work completed given consumedresources

Effect iveness- Are goals being met.

Monitor the activities.

Take control action.

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5. Conceptual Models v. Reali ty

4 ways of doing comparison:1. Using conceptual models as a base for ordered questions;

2. Comparing history with model prediction;

3. General overall comparison;

4. Model overlay.

activity is it done in the real situation?how is it done?

comments,recommendations

1

2

3

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6. Feasib le and Des irable Changes

From the comparison of the conceptual models

with reality, logically desirable andsocially/politically feasible changes are identifyand debate.

Two types of changes: Changes in structure;

Changes in procedure;

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7. Act ions For Improvement

Develop an action plan to implementchanges and put them into action!

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STS theory

STS is based on the premises that organisations or awork unit is a combination of social and technical parts

and that it is open to its environment

At the heart of STS design is the joint optimisation of

the technical and social subsystems which constitutethe work system.

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Components of STS

Social subsystem - aims to design a workstructure that is responsive to the

psychological needs of the employees and isexperienced through the organisations culture,norms, roles and communication patterns

Technical subsystem - comprises thestructures, tools and knowledge necessary toperform the work which transforms rawmaterials into products or services

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Systems Development Li fe

Cycle

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Systems Development Life Cyc le (SDLC)

Iterative Process

Control cost and time

Budgets

Project timelines and deadlines

Works best with well understood systems

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SDLC Phases

Systems Investigation Identify problems or opportunities

Systems Analysis How can we solve the problem

Systems Design Select and plan the best solution

Systems Implementation Place solution into effect

Systems Maintenance and Review Evaluate the results of the solution

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Systems Invest igat ion

Feasibility Analysis

Technical

Economic

Operational

Schedule

S

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Systems Analys is

Data Collection

Strengths/Weaknesses of existing system

Data Analysis

Turning data into information

Requirements Analysis

Identifying needs

S t D i

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Systems Design

Logical Design

Functional requirements of the system

Physical Design

Specifies system components

Design Alternatives

Evaluating and Selecting a Design

S t I l t t i

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Systems Implementat ion

Hardware/Software

User Preparation

Hiring and Training Personnel

Site Preparation

Data Preparation

Installation Testing

Startup

User Acceptance

S t M i t

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Systems Maintenance

Types

New Release

New Version

5 times the cost of development

50 - 70% of programmers time

Documentation is important!

S t St k h ld

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System Stakeho lders

USERS!!!!!

Customers

Vendors and Suppliers

Managers

Systems Analysts

Technical Specialists

T l f D l t

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Tools for Development

CASE tools

Rapid Application Development

Object Oriented development

Prototyping

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Systems Development

Life Cyc le(SDLC)

S t D l t

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Systems Development

What is a system?

A collection of related components that interactto perform a task in order to accomplish a goal

Systems development (systems analysis and

design) is the process of creating systems,

developing them, and maintaining or enhancing

them.

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Systems Development Lifecyc le (SDLC)

Three major activities Analysis: understanding business needs

Design: conceptualizing computer-system

solution Implementation: construction, testing, and

installation

Two additional phases Project planning

Support

The SDLC

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The SDLC

1. Planning

a. Project identification and selection

b. Project initiation and planning

2. Analysis

a. Determine system requirements (WHAT users need)

b. Modeling possible solutions (HOW to satisfy user needs)

3. Design

a. logical design

b. physical design

4. Implementation

5. Maintenance / support

F

r

o

n

t

e

n

d

B

a

c

k

e

n

d

A

D

I

Project Phases

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Project Phases

Planning (Why build the system? How shouldthe team go about building it?)

Analysis (Who uses system, what will it do,where and when will the system be used?)

Design (How will the system work?)

Implementation (System delivery)

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Systems Developm ent Life Cycle

Waterfal l Mod el

Project Identification

and Selection

Project Initiation

and Planning

Analysis

Logical Design

Physical Design

Implementation

Maintenance

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Project Ini t iat ion and Plann ing

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Project In i t iat ion and Plann ing

Long-term information systems strategic plan(top-down)

Department managers or process managers

(bottom-up)

Response to outside forces

Legislative changes

Market forces

Competition

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Confirm ing Project Feasib i l i ty

Economic

Organizational and cultural

Technological

Schedule

Resource

Intang ibles in Econom ic Feasibi l i ty

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Intang ibles in Econom ic Feasibi l i ty

Costs and benefits cannot always be measured

Examples

Increased levels of service

Survival

Lost customers or sales

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Organizat ional and Cultural Feasib i l i ty

Each company has own culture

New system must fit into culture

Evaluate related issues for potential risks

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Techno log ical Feasibi l i ty

Does expertise exist in-house for development?

Does a third party need to be involved?

Schedu le Feasib i l i ty

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Schedu le Feasib i l i ty

Can project be completed on time?

Risk of schedule slipping

Assumptions and estimates

Resource Feasibi l i ty

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Resource Feasibi l i ty

Team member availability

Team skill levels

Equipment

Support staff

Physical facilities

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Requ irements Analysis

Analys is

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Analys is

A. Determine system requirements

B. Structure requirements 1. Process modeling

2. Logic modeling

3. Data modeling

C. Select best alternative

Requ irements Analysis Goals

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Requ irements Analysis Goals

Fully describe the current system

Study and analyze the current system (gatherand study facts)

Identify resource constraints

Define and prioritize requirements Inspire user confidence/ownership

Study & Analyze Current System

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Study & Analyze Current System

-- Activities --

1. Learn about current system (gather facts)

2. Model current system

3. Analyze problems/opportunities (study facts)

4. Establish new system objectives

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Study & Analyze Current System

-- Output --

1. Complete statement of user environment

2. Models of current system3. List of major problems/causes/effects

4. System objectives