Learning For Action: A Short Definitive Account of Soft Systems Methodology, and its use for Practitioners, Teachers and Students

After an explanation of the book’s purpose, the authors provide in Part 1 first an overview of SSM as a whole, then a fleshed-out account with just enough detail and advice to enable the reader to set about using the approach in problem situations of concern. Part 2 describes examples of SSM in action and also pays special attention to one of the most common application areas: that of work in the information system/information technology field. A final chapter in part 2 discusses the difficulties some people have in grasping the true nature of SSM, drawing attention to the inadequacies in much of the secondary literature. Appendices provide an outline of the theoretical considerations which underpin SSM, a guide to sources of further information and illustrations of some of SSM’s techniques.

Peter Checkland is the recipient of the 'Most Distinguished and Outstanding Contributor' Award of the British Computer Society Methodologies Group, 1994 Recipient of the Gold Medal of the UK Systems Society for 'Outstanding Contribution to Systems Thinking' and 1997 Recipient of a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship. Now retired from full time university work, Peter Checkland continues his research and writing.

John Poulter is a practitioner of SSM. He first used SSM formally when working with Peter Checkland in the UK's National Health Service in 1993. A founder member of the Soft Systems Research Group, he has presented papers and other publications on the use of SSM.