Contact Us

If you still have questions or prefer to get help directly from an agent, please submit a request.
We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Please fill out the contact form below and we will reply as soon as possible.

  • Courses
  • Home
  • Business Management & Operations
  • Management, Leadership, & Organizational Behavior

Soft System Methodology - Explained

What is the Soft System Methodology?

Written by Jason Gordon

Updated at May 11th, 2022

Contact Us

If you still have questions or prefer to get help directly from an agent, please submit a request.
We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Please fill out the contact form below and we will reply as soon as possible.

  • Marketing, Advertising, Sales & PR
    Principles of Marketing Sales Advertising Public Relations SEO, Social Media, Direct Marketing
  • Accounting, Taxation, and Reporting
    Managerial & Financial Accounting & Reporting Business Taxation
  • Professionalism & Career Development
  • Law, Transactions, & Risk Management
    Government, Legal System, Administrative Law, & Constitutional Law Legal Disputes - Civil & Criminal Law Agency Law HR, Employment, Labor, & Discrimination Business Entities, Corporate Governance & Ownership Business Transactions, Antitrust, & Securities Law Real Estate, Personal, & Intellectual Property Commercial Law: Contract, Payments, Security Interests, & Bankruptcy Consumer Protection Insurance & Risk Management Immigration Law Environmental Protection Law Inheritance, Estates, and Trusts
  • Business Management & Operations
    Operations, Project, & Supply Chain Management Strategy, Entrepreneurship, & Innovation Business Ethics & Social Responsibility Global Business, International Law & Relations Business Communications & Negotiation Management, Leadership, & Organizational Behavior
  • Economics, Finance, & Analytics
    Economic Analysis & Monetary Policy Research, Quantitative Analysis, & Decision Science Investments, Trading, and Financial Markets Banking, Lending, and Credit Industry Business Finance, Personal Finance, and Valuation Principles
  • Courses
+ More

Table of Contents

What is the Soft Systems Methodology? What are the Steps in the Soft Systems Methodology?

What is the Soft Systems Methodology? 

The Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), developed by Peter Checkland, is a qualitative technique that applies Systems Thinking to non-systemic situations. 

This approach is best used in problem situations that have a high social, political and human activity component. 

What are the Steps in the Soft Systems Methodology?

The following are steps in the Soft System Methodology: 

  • Investigate the unstructured problem.
  • Express the problem situation through "Rich Pictures”, which capture as much information as possible relating to the problem situation - including, boundaries, structure, information flows, communication channels, and human activity system. 
  • Identify Root Definitions of relevant systems. There are six elements that make a well formulated root definition. They are summed up in the acronym CATWOE:
    • Customer. Everyone who may gain benefits from a system is considered as a customer of the system. 
    • Actor. The actors transform inputs into outputs and they perform the activities defined in the system.
    • Transformation process. This is shown as the conversion of inputs to outputs.
    • Weltanschauung. The German expression for world view. This world view makes the transformation process meaningful in context.
    • Owner. Every system has some proprietor, who has the power to start up and shut down the system (power of veto).
    • Environmental constraints. These are external elements that must be considered. These constraints include organizational policies as well as legal and ethical matters.
  • Conceptual models.
  • Formal system concept.
  • Other system thinking.
  • Compare the Conceptual Models with Rich Pictures
  • Feasible, desirable changes.
  • Action to improve the problem situation.


soft system methodology

Was this article helpful?

Yes
No

Related Articles

  • Heuristics - Explained
  • Laissez-Faire (Economics) - Explained
  • Egocentrism - Explained
  • 5 P Models (Strategic Management) - Explained



©2011-2021. The Business Professor, LLC.
  • Privacy

  • Questions

Definition by Author

0
0
Expand