Soft System Methodology

Project Report

Gulzeb zahid
www.gulzeb7.webs.com

Table of Contents
1

Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2

System Development ........................................................................................................... 2

Identification of the current situation of problem ............................................................ 2

Research about problem..................................................................................................... 3

Define the key issue .............................................................................................................. 3

Design a model which can solve the problems. .............................................................. 4

Make comparison of model in real time strategy ............................................................ 4

8 Provide the comprehensive solution to change the key issue and solve the
problems. ....................................................................................................................................... 4
9

Deliver that action plan to customer to implement. ....................................................... 5

10

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 5

11

References ......................................................................................................................... 6

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1 Introduction
It is a method which describes the complete analysis of any problem and provide its
solution with a new way to design and develop an invention which will helpful to solve
the issue. There are seven stages of this method which is described below;
1. Identification of the current situation of problem
2. Research about problem
3. Define the key issue which generate the problem and provide the change of
these issue.
4. Design a model which can solve the problems.
5. Make comparison of model in real time strategy
6. Provide the comprehensive solution to change the key issue and solve the
problems.
7. Deliver that action plan to customer to implement.

2 System Development
It is also called software development life cycle. This is the method which is used to
design and develop the software, it have following steps which is used by developer to
design a software. These steps are given below;
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Requirement
Analysis
Design
Implementation
Testing and verification
Maintenance

[1]

Now soft system can be defined in context of system development.

3 Identification of the current situation of problem

This is the first stage of soft system methodology, it helps in requirement of software
development life cycle, as in this phase developer have to gathering information about
problem of current situation which can be problems in old software which need to
modify or something new function is needed by client. It is also analysis about problem,
it can be consist of analysis about three major findings which are given below;
First step is to identify the users of software who are using the current software and
facing the problems direct, these people can be interviewed or design a specific
questionnaire which can help to gather the requirement to design the software.

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Second step to check /about cultural environment in which client is facing the
problem, like in manufacturing ceramic industry in desert area of Saudi Arabia or
accounting agency in Switzerland, both have different perspective, which make it
easy for developer to design according to cultural requirement.
Third step is to check if that issue is related to any political influence or something which
is not legalized in that country like designing a software which is not allowed in that
country as skype is not allowed in Oman and if any client want same that program or
need a program which can bypass security, so that kind of program requirement must
be rejected.
[2]

Research about problem

This option helps about researching about problem statement by taking an analysis of
PEST, which is defined below;
P stand for political factors which are analyze before creating a software , its means it
need to check either this software is designed to hit the political influence of any party
or making progress the fame of any company in good manners, it must be checked
before designing the software.
E stand for economical which means either this software is economical or not, if this
software is not economical then client will not make from developer but he will looking
for other developer so he will make it cheap.
S stand for social as this software requirement is user friendly so less educated people
also use this software with ease.
T stand for technology, so either this software is designed with latest technology and
stand with latest upcoming upgrades of new technology. When all these requirement
are analyzed then developer step ahead to next phase of software development.
[3]

5 Define the key issue

This phase help the system developer to see the problem with client point of view and
found the key issue and these issue needs to change or overcome with new things. As if
client is company owner and he need an Arabic accounting software for its company
then developer must think with accountant point of view, so he can easily develop a
software with angle which help the accountant of a company to maintain company
inventory and accounts.

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6 Design a model which can solve the problems.

In this phase developer can design a model which aim to change the key issues or
problems, there is a process in which these issues are replaced with new ideas or
things, this process is coming under designing a model. There is one analysis is required
to design that process which is called as CATWOE, which is described below;

Customers: or clients which are directly facing the problem in existence system, so this
model should help them first by changing issues.
Actors: these are the developers who create the change of process of key issues.
Transformation process: it is software development life cycle which will help the client to
solve their problems.
World point of view: this analysis help the program to see the ambiance of program,
which is important part of software, if software is looking weird then its functions are not
liked well.
Owner: these point of view must be discussed because they have to pay the amount of
software development.
[4]
Environment factor: it is to be discussed that if any-thing prevent these changes to be
implement that should be discussed in process design.
[5]

7 Make comparison of model in real time strategy

This is the important item which will help the developer to see the problem and feel the
difference when problem is present and then when problem is solved, so when
problem is present then situation is difficult for users and when designing a model which
can solve the problem is different, so it is change of problem process comparison.

8 Provide the comprehensive solution to change the key

issue and solve the problems.
First identifying the key issues then research about problem then defining the key issue
and then taking CATWOE analysis make it easy to define the root cause and provide
the solution of problem, there should be provide a unique a sensible solution or
program which will be accepted widely from client, as it should solve the problems of
clients, and if do not solve the problem of customer then there is no use of that
program, so must be design and provide a software to client which can provide a
comprehensive program to solve the key issues of client.
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At this phase program is implemented as codes are completely implemented and

tested with commonly used testing methods which are white box testing and black box
testing. Black box testing is that tester dont know codes of program, he just check input
and out and functions again, again and again in order to confirm that all functions are
working properly and as well as no issue in program running. White box testing is that
tester is know every code details and checking the software with great detail to know
either all problems are solved and all functions are working properly.
[6]

9 Deliver that action plan to customer to implement.

This is final process in which software is handed over to client and he will check it, test it,
test it again and find out that all key issued are solved as well as more functions are
added and more new helpful features are added, so if there is any query, client will let
it know to developer , but rarely it happened.

10 Conclusion
I have discussed the role of soft system method in context of system development
method, first identification of current problem faced by client and checking cultural
and environment details and then checking about political issue to getting requirement
and analysis of program development. Research is made about the problem by
analyzing PEST analysis tool which is political views and economical view and social
and technical factors are discussed. Then define the key issue of problem which need
to be resolved. Then one software model is developed and designed and it is
comparison taken about real problem and after software, which problem is resolved.
The provide a comprehensive system to client and before tested it with all available
means to ensure quality of software and to check either all functions are working
properly, then handed over to customer who have checked it and satisfied. It is soft
system methodology in context of system development.

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11 References
[1] http://www.sld.demon.co.uk/ssm.pdf
[2] http://www.larsmathiassen.org/12.pdf
[3] http://iris.cs.aau.dk/tl_files/volumes/volume05/no1/05_vidgen_p97-112.pdf
[4] http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/7636/
[5] http://users.actrix.com/bobwill/ssm.pdf
[6] http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/research/dstools/soft-systems-methodology/

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