Boardman Soft Systems Methodology Research Articles

A study of key factors that influence and enable patient empowerment: A systems approach

AbstractGlobal crises have forced the healthcare sector to advance the way they practise. Patient empowerment has emerged as one of the solutions to face these challenges. Nevertheless, patient empowerment is still lacking for accepted conditions, making it difficult to effectively promote within the healthcare system. This study aims to systemically map the concept of patient empowerment using principles of systems thinking with the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology that enables a graphical visualization (i.e., Systemigrams). This includes levels of patient empowerment and their relationship with other concepts such as health literacy, health providers, self‐management, patient characteristics and healthcare outcomes. This study contributes to the literature by (a) articulating a set of conditions to enable patient empowerment, (b) identifying the key concept that might influence the level of patient empowerment and (c) providing guidance and propositions for future research that can promote and further study patient empowerment.

Service-Dominant Logic and Performance-Based Contracting: A Systems Thinking Perspective

This paper extends recent theoretical advances by merging service-dominant logic (S-D logic) and performance-based contracting (PBC). S-D logic is a conceptual frame of reference that defines supply chain knowledge and skill as its fundamental building blocks of strategic benefit. Cocreation of value between actors and beneficiaries is central to S-D logic and is measured through performance outcomes. PBC is a transformational departure from traditional supply chain strategies that focuses on delivering performance instead of goods and services. PBC has found increasing use in large-scale complex systems where the postproduction costs exceed the production cost, such as defense, transportation, and healthcare. These systems are commonly called sustainment-dominated systems (SDSs). We use systems theory and the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology to develop a systemigram that corresponds to the 11 foundational premises of S-D logic in the context of PBC. We also verify the use of the systemigram as an instrument to instantiate systems thinking and move S-D logic from an abstract framework to a more actionable framework. This paper provides managers and researchers a systematic insight into how investment into knowledge, skills, and the cocreation of value can drive improved SDS life-cycle affordability in the context of PBC.

Exploring the service recovery landscape through the lens of a systemigram

Utilising Boardman soft systems methodology (BSSM) and its graphical systemic diagramming technique (the systemigram), this study improves the comprehension and identification of the complex interrelationships between relevant factors within the service failure/recovery domain. As a first step, we conducted a study of service recovery in the extant literature and identified the way situations associated with service failure and recovery was addressed. The second step was to synthesise the literature to propose the structure of the systemigram. This study contributes to the extant literature by doing the following: 1) identifying bottlenecks in the domain of service failure and recovery that complicate customer relations in the service industry; 2) providing academics and practitioners a comprehensive picture of the service recovery environment to provide a clear view of the factors that complicate service recovery; 3) equipping system analysts with a clear understanding of systemic issues related to service recovery; 4) identifying key insights and new research areas based on the scenes incorporated in a systemigram. Study findings and recommendations for future research are presented.

Exploring the service recovery landscape through the lens of a systemigram

Utilising Boardman soft systems methodology (BSSM) and its graphical systemic diagramming technique (the systemigram), this study improves the comprehension and identification of the complex interrelationships between relevant factors within the service failure/recovery domain. As a first step, we conducted a study of service recovery in the extant literature and identified the way situations associated with service failure and recovery was addressed. The second step was to synthesise the literature to propose the structure of the systemigram. This study contributes to the extant literature by doing the following: 1) identifying bottlenecks in the domain of service failure and recovery that complicate customer relations in the service industry; 2) providing academics and practitioners a comprehensive picture of the service recovery environment to provide a clear view of the factors that complicate service recovery; 3) equipping system analysts with a clear understanding of systemic issues related to service recovery; 4) identifying key insights and new research areas based on the scenes incorporated in a systemigram. Study findings and recommendations for future research are presented.

EHealth marketing to millennials: a view through a systemigram

With the help of Boardman soft systems methodology (BSSM) and its associated graphical system technique (i.e., systemigram), this work seeks to improve identification and comprehension of the intricate relationships between the factors that impact the millennial eHealth marketing landscape. This study contributes to the literature by: a) pinpointing the bottlenecks in the domain of millennial eHealth marketing; b) providing practitioners and academics with a detailed graphical representation of the circumstances they are facing; c) providing system analysts with relevant information for better comprehension of the systemic issues concerning millennial eHealth marketing; d) providing important insights that illuminate new avenues to explore through the medium of the systemigram. Further outcomes of these findings and implications for future research are elaborated.

Insights into the eldercare conundrum through complementary lenses of Boardman's SSM and TOC's Evaporating Cloud

Whether an elderly parent should move/be moved into an assisted care facility can be a difficult decision for families and one that is increasingly evident as the ‘baby-boomer’ population ages. This paper explores decisions about care for elderly family members and in particular, whether a parent should move (or be moved) into an assisted care facility (ACF). The problematic situation based on personal experience of the authors is explored using two different methods as problem structuring aids, providing critical insights into the dilemma facing many families. Boardman's Soft Systems Methodology (BSSM) was used along with the Evaporating Cloud (EC) from the Theory of Constraints (TOC) methodology. This use of two methods in multimethodological fashion as complementary lenses allowed the elicitation, clarification and elaboration of assumptions underlying the issue of whether the parent should move into an ACF. Multiple avenues for resolving the issue are surfaced, along with several opportunities for further research. The paper contributes to community OR by showing how the different frames can work to address the fraught situation in which families can find themselves, as adult children seek to safeguard their elderly parents by accessing ACF, while also endeavouring to maintain satisfactory family relationships. The paper makes a unique contribution, not just in terms of highlighting the eldercare situation and suggesting ways forward, but also in terms of multimethodological use of BSSM and TOC. Finally, it is significant that the case study originated in the USA, where ‘Soft OR’ methods are rarely applied.

Transitioning Systems Thinking to Model-Based Systems Engineering: Systemigrams to SysML Models

A fundamental challenge for system engineers is to capture a problem with an effective model or framework and then facilitate transferring the information of that captured problem to practical systems engineering tools and methods. The early problem definition phase requires an application of systems thinking with adequate modeling tools and methods. Then, the later problem definition phase and early system architecting phase requires transferring the captured problem to systems engineering tools and methods through emerging techniques such as model-based systems engineering (MBSE) using SysML (MBSE is the practice of using a modeling tools to capture systems engineering diagrams). This paper presents a method for capturing a problem through systemigrams and the Boardman soft systems methodology and then directly translating the systemigrams into SysML diagrams. With MBSE increasing in usage, this method could provide a time savings opportunity during model development along with the possibility of lowering information distortion or loss that can occur during transformation of systems thinking to systems engineering activities. This paper includes a case study which demonstrates how the proposed approach was applied on a problem being considered by the U.S. Army-Contingency Basing for Small Combat Units. Finally, this paper will provide the conclusion on the development of the method and describe future research directions that can allow systems thinking and MBSE to function in a congruent methodology.

Systemic analysis of the critical dimensions of project management that impact test and evaluation program outcomes

It is generally believed that adopting standard organizational project management (PM) practices enhances the capability of organizations to achieve program success and customer satisfaction. We asked what specific dimensions of PM practices have been most helpful to project and program managers of Test and Evaluation (T&E). This paper focuses on T&E PM within the Federal Aviation Administration, an agency of the US government. The objective was to identify the critical dimensions of PM that contribute to successful T&E execution and determine how these critical dimensions could be unified with technical processes to achieve customer satisfaction. By combining the expressive abilities of the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology with a case study approach, we identified a set of critical dimensions and created a conceptual model that unifies PM practices with T&E processes. We concluded with a set of critical project management practices that have impact for a T&E organization.

Systemigram Modeling of the Small Vessel Security Strategy for Developing Enterprise Resilience

AbstractEnterprises exist in webs of alliances, partnerships, and cooperatives and must necessarily reflect their strategic intent at the level of these networks. This network level strategic intent is fundamental to developing security strategies and operational policies that consider emergent, decentralized behavior of the enterprise as a positive contribution to ensuring resilience in enterprise service. Recent strategies of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have articulated that our homeland security solutions will only be found in the national enterprise via a collective and shared responsibility that stretches from national to local to community involvement. This paper presents our results from using the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology (BSSM) and supporting graphical systemic diagramming technique, i.e., systemigrams, to better understand and identify the significant elements and their relationships within the small vessel security enterprise as articulated by the DHS Small Vessel Security Strategy. BSSM and systemigrams allow us to help identify organizational and communication bottlenecks, provide stakeholders with the knowledge about the architectural structure of the extended network of activities in their environment, and equip system analysts with relevant information on understanding systemic issues with consideration of resilience factors. We conclude by identifying what we believe to be key observations in the realization of this strategy between maritime security partners and the small vessel community via maritime governance that should be embraced and not mitigated.

Using Systemigrams in Problem Definition: A Case Study in Maritime Resilience for Homeland Security

The concept of resilience has been used among a diversity of fields with a myriad of definitions. A systems approach to discovering the essence of resilience could aid in understanding its concept and provide opportunities to distinguish its systemic characteristics that can be identified, planned, or analyzed regardless of the field in which it is considered. In order to begin executing such an approach, a comprehensive study of the literature on the topic and circumstances in which resilience has been used or referred to in several fields of studies is necessary. In this paper, the conceptual common denominator of resilience is identified based on the results of a literature survey and according to the way it has been used in different contexts. This basis leads to the objective of this effort, and that is to recognize the systemic characteristics of resilience and demonstrate the defining of a universally accepted definition. Using a soft systems methodology and a supporting systemic diagramming technique entitled Systemigrams, we present the formulation of defining resilience in maritime homeland security. In this effort, many stakeholders contributed their thoughts and concerns on the meaning and operational use of resilience through a repetitive process to formulate a definition of the term. The result of this methodic approach is a general definition of resilience that has been refined in a collaborative environment via the application the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology.

Soft systems analysis of the unification of test and evaluation and program management: A study of a Federal Aviation Administration's strategy

AbstractThe strategic objective of a test and evaluation (T&E) organization is to detect defects, which must be fixed prior to system deployment in order to meet the operational needs and achieve customer satisfaction. Numerous process improvement models have been developed and applied to address the issue of preventing “critical” defects getting to the field. However, the escalating costs of system deployment (especially in government programs), due to critical defects found in the field, continues to be a major quality issue affecting customer satisfaction. The failure of programs to meet quality and performance objectives has been shown to be related to inadequate planning and an ineffective program management strategy. Thus, for a T&E organization, the program management strategy can greatly influence overall performance goals. While current literature on T&E quality improvement focuses primarily on T&E technical tools, equipment, and processes, little to no attention has been paid to integrating program management into the T&E organization's strategy. We intend to demonstrate in this paper that taking a holistic view of both T&E and program management (PM) activities using the tools of systems thinking can provide new insights to understand and create a more effective T&E execution strategy. Using Boardman's Soft Systems Methodology and Systemigrams (systemic diagrams), we evaluate the unification of a Federal Aviation Administration's T&E program management into its T&E strategy. The resultant Systemigram model represents the alignment of T&E with program management. We conclude with recommendations on how other organizations may modify their T&E execution strategy to achieve better customer satisfaction. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng

Towards the formalisation of soft systems models using Petri net theory

The analytical capability of conceptual models that are used in a soft systems methodology to capture the processes within a business organisation is examined and extended. Specifically, the models known as systemigrams, which form part of the Boardman soft systems methodology, are considered. The informal nature of systemigrams allows a nonspecialist to easily create models of processes, but it does not permit analysis of the resulting model. Hence, problems can occur in verifying the correctness of these models. This problem is addressed by presenting a translation algorithm that converts systemigram descriptions into Petri net models. This translation allows the behaviour, represented by the systemigram, to be analysed via Petri net theory, and it has the potential of performing ‘what if’ analysis. Application of this algorithm is shown via a case study that translates and analyses a systemigram of a realistic industrial process that forms the Order Intake phase of a product's life cycle.

3.3.2 Formalisation of an order processing soft systems model using Petri nets

ABSTRACTSoft systems methodologies are known for investigating the problems occurring in the management of organisations using conceptual models. These models are informal and thus they are easily used and understood by a non‐specialist. However, such models cannot be subjected to formal analysis, and problems can occur in verifying their correctness. This paper addresses this issue by combining Petri net theory with the conceptual models of a methodology known as the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology (BSSM). Specifically, a systematic approach is presented that allows the systemigrams of the BSSM to be translated into Petri net models. This translation allows a systemigram to be checked for the integrity of its data, and Petri net theory can be used to analyse the resulting Petri net models. It is the intention that this type of analysis would be used by a target audience to verify and validate the systemigram models. Application of this approach is illustrated by an industrial case study that involves the Order Intake phase of a product's life cycle.

Assisting cultural reform in a projects-based company using Systemigrams

The only sustainable advantage that one business can have over another is the knowledge base of its employees; everything else is in the public domain. If all project personnel know and can share values about best project practice they can then be responsive and adaptive to a changing environment; if not then they will probably resist the change. This paper describes how the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology (BSSM) has been used to support a programme of cultural re-orientation within a medium-sized systems engineering business. The company has recognised the need to adopt a project management organisation in order to survive and prosper in the competitive business environment of the 1990s. Senior management prepared strategy papers and guidelines for employees which set out to describe the new way in which the business should operate. The methodology has been used to create diagrams that more richly describe these new company values, so that they may become a basis for shared values and provide a vehicle for cultural change. The diagrams, known as Systemigrams ( systemic diagrams) have been demonstrated to provide an enlightened understanding of engineering and management process dynamics as a basis for shared values and can be shown to illuminate possibilities for process improvement to ensure alignment with organisational objectives.