Thirty years ago Peter Checkland set out to test whether the Systems Engineering (SE) approach, successful in technical problems, could be used by managers to cope with the unfolding complexities of everyday life. His findings were revealed in Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. In this paperback reissue of his second classic of systems literature, again featuring the excerpted new section, Checkland develops his ideas to show how the principles have been extended by use in industry. Case studies are used to show how SSM can be applied and what lessons can be learned from its application in different areas.
An introduction to soft systems methodology. Developed from other methods of systems engineering which are concerned with creating systems to meet defined objectives, SSM is designed for problems such as how to launch a new product or helping a company make use of information technology.