Showing papers by "Peter Checkland published in 1995"
TL;DR: This paper seeks to identify and define, more fully than hitherto, a role for SSM in information systems development which stems from its fundamental principles.
Abstract: Recent years have seen a growing interest in the use of soft systems methodology (SSM) in work related to computer-based information systems (IS). Against this background, this paper seeks to identify and define, more fully than hitherto, a role for SSM in information systems development which stems from its fundamental principles. Since SSM sees computer-based information systems as systems which serve purposeful human action, the notion of ‘information system’ in SSM is one that necessarily involves two systems, a ‘serving’ system (the information system) and a ‘served’ system of purposeful action. This notion of ‘information system’ leads to certain principles for IS development. These are expressed in the form of a model, referred to as the ‘information system/information system development model’ (IS/ISDM). This model is used to examine several conventional approaches to information systems development including the widely used UK government method SSADM, in order to identify where, in IS work, soft systems ideas might best make a contribution. A possible role for SSM is identified and a brief description of this role is given at the end of the paper.
77 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe an approach taken to carry out multidisciplinary action research into contract management within the National Health Service (NHS), which forms part of the ‘Contracts and Competition Programme' funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Abstract: This paper describes an approach taken to carrying out multidisciplinary action research into contract management within the National Health Service. The work forms part of the ‘Contracts and Competition Programme’ funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. The members of the team had little experience of multidisciplinary research prior to the start of the study and little guidance in this regard is provided in the management science literature. Hence, there was a clearly identified need to develop an approach capable of guiding the work and ensuring that the wide range of disciplinary perspectives within the team could be successfully incorporated into an integrated whole. The approach taken makes use of concepts from soft systems methodology to provide an overarching framework for this purpose and this paper reports on its successes and failures.
56 citations