Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)

This article discusses Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and its application in system analysis. It explores the methodology, workshops, and interviews involved in using SSM. The article also provides case studies and examples of SSM in action.

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)
The In systems development, system analysis is a very essential aspect that describes
the issues to be addressed and offers the structure of the suggested system. Due to increased
system complexities, system analysts are tasked with identify tools that will enable them to
effectively and efficiently perform system analysis. The system analysis field has faced
prospering and emergence of several structured methodologies (Cezarino et al., 2015). In
spite of their uniqueness, a number of these methods share a basic technical outlook.
Concisely, all these approaches have a technically based method that seeks to come
up with an ideal system design. Nevertheless, according to Rodriguez-Ulloa and Paucar-
Caceres (2015), these methodologies are considered to be inadequate in practical problem
cases, particularly when the important situation is ill structured and messy or when cultural
and political factors are dominant in the company. Due to these perceived insufficiencies,
SSM is recognized as an important candidate for computerized system analysis approach.
SSM offers a means that permit important social, cultural, human and political aspects to
create a construct and portray definite bodies in the process of system analysis.
Methodology
After having a brief discussion on SSM, it was applied in the case project. The
methodology selected was qualitative research. The project team first obtained ethical
clearance to carry out the study. It was necessary to seek permission from the company where
the project team by issues the letters to the company gatekeeper that were used to get ethical
clearance from the company. Every participant was issued with an informed consent stating
the aim of the study and that their involvement was voluntary, confidential, and that they
have the freewill to leave at any point in the project. The fieldwork involved SSM workshops
and interviews. Various employees from the different departments took part in the study.
Face-to-face interview that involved use of semi-structured questions were conducted
from approximately thirty minutes. Additionally, open-ended, unstructured questions were
created to enable participants to give more detailed answers and the perspectives of the
stakeholders. Conducting the interviews gave a platform to the stakeholders to express their
opinions openly about the new system (Rodriguez-Ulloa and Paucar-Caceres, 2015).
Interviews were conducted to gain insights into the need and the importance why the
company should deploy a new system. In total, ten interviews were conducted with three
representatives from the sales department, three from customer relations, and two from senior

management, and two from procurement department. All the responses were recorded and
transcribed digitally.
Three SSM workshops were conducted within the company, each took six hours. The
project team sent invitation to all the Bookbarn stakeholders to facilitate getting diverse
opinions and input. The project team took the centre lead in engaging the participant to
ensure that the workshops were facilitatory in nature. The objective of the SSM workshops
was to allow the stakeholders to create a momentum by identifying the issues that they
experience with the current system and what they would like to be added in the new system
concerning business operations. The data gathered from the interviews and SSM workshops
were constantly analysed using the thematic evaluation approach.
SSM is applied as follows in CATWOE, Root definition, and conceptual model:
CATWOE, Root definition, and Conceptual model:
Financial Department
Actors: Financial department employees
Transformation: Improving financial processes within the company
Weltanschauung: financial processes entail all the activities that are conducted in the
financial department including processing invoices and generating financial reports.
Implementing a financial management system will allow the employees in the finance
department to effectively process financial records and generate reports efficiently.
Owners: Business owner (Rob)
Environment: Laws and regulations covering financial transactions such as tax laws
RDs
Implementing a financial management system to allow the financial department to change
from manual financial operations to automated financial operations in order to process
customer invoices efficiently and effectively.

Owner
Actors: Rob (business owner)
Transformation: Change Rob’s perspective on the importance of computerized ordering
systems
Weltanschauung: Computerised ordering system increases the efficiency and effectiveness
of the business functions and enhances customer satisfaction.
Owners: Business owner (Rob)
Environment: financial, HR, and sales departments
RDs
Convincing the owner on the need and importance of having a computerised ordering system
by sharing the various advantages and benefits of computerised ordering in order to enable
the order see the need to implement such a system.

CATWOE, Root definition, and Conceptual model:
HR Department
Actors: HR department employees
Transformation: Train employees to have the relevant skills to operate the computers
Weltanschauung: training will facilitate the company to have qualified employees to
operate the new computerized ordering system effectively.
Owners: Business owner (Rob)
Environment: Resistance from the owner and the senior employees.
RDs
An ordering system for the business
To adopt various strategies to equip unskilled employees with computer skills in order to
have a successful ordering system that is accepted by all the employees and improve the
ordering process and meet the customer expectations.