Information Systems Project in China: action research and soft systems methodology

2000 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-192
Author(s):  
Simon Bell ◽  
Gilroy Coleman ◽  
Jian Qiang Guo ◽  
Martin Sewell
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Testing Stage ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Beta Testing ◽  
Learning Issues ◽  
Is Projects

Developing Information Systems is a process fraught with danger and often resulting in failure. Failure rates now run at 80% and there is no sign of decline [16,17,18,20,21,30,31,35,36,40]. If Information Systems (IS) projects are high risk even in industrialised societies, then projects in developing countries and newly emerging economies are even more prone to failure. Putting IS projects together with the developing economies would appear to be a recipe for disaster but this paper describes an IS project developed between the UK and China which has got to beta testing stage and shows early signs of success. The paper describes the process whereby the project was developed, the methodology applied and the problems and difficulties encountered. Taking as its point of reference the autumn 1999 review mission, the paper describes the situation for the Feasibility and Appraisal Information System (FAIS) at that time and draws out some policy and methodology learning issues relevant to others planning IS in similar contexts.

scholarly journals Logical Soft Systems Modelling for Programme Development: An Action Research

10.28945/2779 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ho-Leung Tsoi
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Major Drawback ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Information Systems Professionals ◽  
Planning Methodology ◽  
Teaching Modules ◽  
Programme Planning

Business Information Systems education-such as majoring in Business Computing, E-Commerce and Business Computing, and Information Systems--is the basic foundation of all Information Systems professionals. So good planning of these programmes is an indispensable element in the development of computing disciplines. The traditional ways of planning an education programme are mainly based on understanding the goals and including appropriate teaching modules to fulfil the requirements. The major drawback of this development methodology is that the importance of different (though relevant) modules in the development process may be undermined. For instance, human and environmental factors are fundamental to planning an education programme and must be taken into account. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is a well-known model for information system design. This paper proposes to see an education programme as a system and adopts the soft systems concept to represent the design of the programme. Based on the soft systems concept, a new methodology, named Soft Systems Programme Planning Methodology (SSPPM), for programme planning is proposed to support designing and planning a new postsecondary programme. The SSPPM not only considers all relevant facets, but it also helps the school management to clarify the connectivity of the elements in the design of a programme.

Soft Systems Methodology in IT-Related Organizational Change

2021 ◽  
pp. 32-54
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Meaningful Information ◽  
Development Methodology ◽  
Is Development

Any organization needs information technologies (IT) to attain efficient process and make effective decisions. The main discussion of this study is focused on IT as a reason of change in an organization. Besides providing a definition for information systems (IS), this chapter aims at explaining soft systems methodology (SSM) as an IS development methodology. Considering seven elements of philosophy, model, techniques and tools, scope, output, practice, and product, it clarified the SSM position in other methodologies. In this concern, it revealed the main concern of using SSM in the development of information systems (i.e., meeting the real needs of the organization through generating meaningful information based on the available data) as represented in five case studies of SSM in IT-related organizational change.

Using Soft Systems Methodology to Reveal Socio-Technical Barriers to Knowledge Sharing and Management

2010 ◽  
pp. 215-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan C. Gillies ◽  
Jeanette Galloway
Keyword(s):  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Health Informatics ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Local Factors ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Use Of Knowledge

Nonaka (1998) argued that for companies to prosper they must move away from a view of organizations as information processing entities with a focus on formal and systematic knowledge to exploit tacit knowledge. Much of the subsequent literature relates to commercial companies, often in North America. Public services in the UK are undergoing rapid change to improve cost effectiveness, customer focus and improve outcomes. Reports such as Wanless (2002, 2004, 2007), Protti (2002) and Gray (2007) argue that this requires a more intelligent use of knowledge and information. However, authors such as Avison and Wood Harper, (1990) have long argued that systems to support such information-based innovations are context dependent and should be viewed as socio-technical systems rather than simply technological systems. This study uses Checkland’s Soft systems Methodology (SSM) to consider the local factors operating within a case study from a local NHS health informatics service organization to assess the need to take account of local factors when applying knowledge management techniques in such cases, with a particular focus on managing the tacit knowledge components, highlighted by Nonaka.

Using a Systems Thinking Perspective to Construct and Apply an Evaluation Approach of Technology-Based Information Systems

2010 ◽  
pp. 294-309
Author(s):  
Hajer Kefi
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Data Warehouse ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Financial Institution ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Problematic Situation ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Evaluation Approach

In this article, we use soft systems methodology and complexity modeling to build an evaluation approach of a data warehouse implemented in a leading European financial institution. This approach consists in building a theoretical model to be used as a purposeful observation lens, producing a clear picture of the problematic situation under study and aimed at providing knowledge to prescribe corrective actions.

An Application of Soft Systems Methodology to Supply Chain Management

2007 ◽  
pp. 254-285
Author(s):  
Ross Smith ◽  
David Mackay ◽  
Graeme Altmann ◽  
Lucas Merlo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
The Uk

This chapter reflects upon techniques that might facilitate improved strategic decision making in a supply chain management (SCM) environment. In particular, it presents the integration of a selection of techniques adapted from an approach to systems-based problem solving that has emerged primarily in the UK over the last 20-30 years—the soft systems methodology (SSM). The results reported indicate that SSM techniques can complement existing SCM decision-making tools. In particular, this chapter outlines a framework for integrating some SSM techniques with approaches based upon the supply-chain operations reference-model (SCOR) .

Developing Purchasing Strategy: A Case Study of a District Health Authority Using Soft Systems Methodology

1997 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 58-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Health Authority ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
District Health ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
To Come ◽  
Effective Development ◽  
The Uk ◽  
District Health Authority

This paper examines the attempt by a District Health Authority (DHA) to create structures (called Purchasing Strategy Groups or PSGs) to facilitate the effective development of its purchasing strategy. The paper is based on a case study design conducted using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). The research contribution the paper makes is twofold. First, it analyses some of the fundamental management-related difficulties that a DHA can experience when attempting to come to terms with its role and responsibilities in the 1990s. Second, it provides a discussion and evaluation of the utility of SSM for qualitative research in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.

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