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In systems science
Systems science

Systems science is an interdisciplinary field of science that studies the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. It aims to develop interdisciplinary foundations, which are applicable in a variety of areas, such as engineering, biology, medicine and social sciences....
 Hard systems is a title sometimes used to differentiate between different types of systems problems. It is opposing soft systems
Soft systems

Soft Systems Methodology is an approach to business process modelling and it can be used both for general problem solving and in the management of change....
.

e Soft systems
Soft systems

Soft Systems Methodology is an approach to business process modelling and it can be used both for general problem solving and in the management of change....
 thinking treats all problems as ill-defined or not easily quantified, Hard systems approaches (Systems analysis
Systems analysis

Systems analysis is the interdisciplinary part of Science, dealing with analysis of sets of interacting or entities, the systems, often prior to their automation as computer systems, and the interactions within those systems....
 (structured methods), Operations research
Operations research

Operations Research in the USA, South Africa and Australia, and Operational Research in Europe and Canada, is an interdisciplinary branch of applied mathematics and formal science that uses methods such as mathematical modeling, statistics, and algorithms to arrive at optimal or near optimal solutions to complex problems....
 and so on) assume that:



ard systems approaches (or Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM)), rigid techniques and procedures are used to provide unambiguous solutions to well-defined data and processing problems. These focus on computer implementations.

In Soft systems methodology (SSM), a "toolbox" of techniques can be used at the discretion of the analyst.






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In systems science
Systems science

Systems science is an interdisciplinary field of science that studies the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. It aims to develop interdisciplinary foundations, which are applicable in a variety of areas, such as engineering, biology, medicine and social sciences....
 Hard systems is a title sometimes used to differentiate between different types of systems problems. It is opposing soft systems
Soft systems

Soft Systems Methodology is an approach to business process modelling and it can be used both for general problem solving and in the management of change....
.

Overview

While Soft systems
Soft systems

Soft Systems Methodology is an approach to business process modelling and it can be used both for general problem solving and in the management of change....
 thinking treats all problems as ill-defined or not easily quantified, Hard systems approaches (Systems analysis
Systems analysis

Systems analysis is the interdisciplinary part of Science, dealing with analysis of sets of interacting or entities, the systems, often prior to their automation as computer systems, and the interactions within those systems....
 (structured methods), Operations research
Operations research

Operations Research in the USA, South Africa and Australia, and Operational Research in Europe and Canada, is an interdisciplinary branch of applied mathematics and formal science that uses methods such as mathematical modeling, statistics, and algorithms to arrive at optimal or near optimal solutions to complex problems....
 and so on) assume that:

  • the problems associated with such systems are well-defined
  • they have a single, optimum solution
  • a scientific approach to problem-solving will work well
  • technical factors will tend to predominate


Methodology

In hard systems approaches (or Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM)), rigid techniques and procedures are used to provide unambiguous solutions to well-defined data and processing problems. These focus on computer implementations.

In Soft systems methodology (SSM), a "toolbox" of techniques can be used at the discretion of the analyst. These focus on improvements to organisational problems

Systems Thinking

According to Peter Checkland
Peter Checkland

Peter Checkland is a British management scientist and professor of Systems at Lancaster University. He is the developer of soft systems : a methodology based on a way of systems thinking....
, ‘Systems Thinking’ is composed of two complementary processes:
  • Systems analysis
    Systems analysis

    Systems analysis is the interdisciplinary part of Science, dealing with analysis of sets of interacting or entities, the systems, often prior to their automation as computer systems, and the interactions within those systems....
  • Systems Synthesis


Checkland draws attention to these two alternative paradigms to explain the nature and significance of Systems Thinking:
  • Paradigm 1 - the world is considered to be systemic and is studied systematically
  • Paradigm 2 - the world is problematic (I.e. it admits to many different interpretations and we study it systemically


Now the first pradigm reflects the notion of Hard Systems Thinking and the second reflects the notion of Soft Systems Thinking. Hard Systems Thinking can be characterised as having an objective or end to be achieved, and a system can be engineered to achieve the stated objective. Soft Systems Thinking can be characterised as having a desirable end, but the means to achieve it and the actual outcome are not easily quantified.

Developments in Hard Systems Thinking

Began to emerge as a distinct philosophy in the 1950s

See also

  • Systems engineering
    Systems engineering

    Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed....
  • Systems analysis
    Systems analysis

    Systems analysis is the interdisciplinary part of Science, dealing with analysis of sets of interacting or entities, the systems, often prior to their automation as computer systems, and the interactions within those systems....
  • Systems dynamics