Holistic Techniques in ISD: Rich Pictures and Root Definitions

1. Chapter 10 Holistic Techniques

2. Learning Objectives • Describe holistic technique through • Rich pictures • Root definitions • Conceptual models • Cognitive mapping

3. Different techniques for ISD There are several techniques and methods that can be incorporated when using ISD methodologies: • Holistic techniques - (Chapter 10)  • Data techniques - (Chapter 11) • Process techniques - (Chapter 12) • Object-oriented techniques - (Chapter 13) • Project management techniques - (Chapter 14) • Organizational techniques - (Chapter 15) • People techniques - (Chapter 16)

4. Holistic techniques Comes from Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology (1) Rich picture • Builds a picture of the “problem area”. • Analysis of interfaces, boundaries, sub-systems, the control of resources, organizational structure, roles of personnel, organizational goals, employee needs, issues, problems, concerns, … political aspects • Pictorial caricature of an organization • helps to explain what the organization is “about” Rich pictures are generally constructed by interviewing people. Concerns are the high-level objectives that significantly constrain the way work is done. Effective systems can be designed only by taking into account the divergent concerns of stakeholders. Concerns All work has numerous, and sometimes competing, objectives. For example: User A may have the objectives “to complete a job well” and “to get home soon. User B (management) may have the objectives “to cut the head count in this department” and to “minimize the transaction times for customers

5. Rich pictures Should be self-explanatory The rich picture depicts the primary stakeholders, their interrelationships, and their concerns. It is intended to be a broad, high-grained view of the problem situation. Drawing a rich picture then is an iterative process of understanding and refining that understanding Includes political issues, people’s worries, beliefs about social roles and expectations There is no single best way of producing a rich picture; the same analyst will use different styles under different Circumstances.

6. Building a Rich Picture • Look for elements of structure • e.g., department boundaries, types of activities or products, physical or geographical • Look for elements of process • e.g., flow of information or goods • Examine the climate via the relationship between structure and process

7. How to Draw a Rich Picture (one way) 1. Put name of organization in large, center ‘bubble’ 2. Draw other symbols for people and things that inter-relate within and outside the organization 3. Include arrows to show relationships 4. Use symbols that people understand to include other important aspects of the human activity system, e.g., • crossed swords for conflict • think bubbles for things people are worried about • size can show relative importance of people and things • might need more than one page (use leveling concept of dfds?)

9. More examples … Rich Picture of Web Design Consultancy

10. A technique to define problems and systems Holistic techniques Comes from Soft Systems Methodology (2) Root definition • is a structured description of a system (which is relevant to the problem). It is a clear statement of activities which take place (or might take place) in the organisation being studied. • used to define problems and systems that are vague or difficult to describe • CATWOE • client; whom is affected by the activities • actor; who carries out the transformation process • transformation; what is the change taking place • weltanschauung; is the assumptions • owner; sponsor or controller in charge • environment; wider system of which the problem situation is a part • difficulties: varieties of different views A system : owned by O : to do W : by A : by means of T : given the constraints of E : in order to achieve X : for C.… or any variation of the above that would form a paragraph and make sense when it is read. Primary TaskRoot Definitions concern processes which the organisation being studied performs as a part of their regular activities (for example, in an oil company, the process of refinement of the oil). Issue BasedRoot Definitions concern processes which are rare or one-off occurrences (such as a management restructuring). A properly structured root definition has three parts, referred to as what, how and why.

11. Root Definition - Short textual statements which define the important elements of the relevant system being modelled - rather like mission statements. they follow the form: a system to do X by (means of) Y in order to Z what the system does - X how it does it - Y why it’s being done - Z Primary task (relating to basic tasks and structures) A university owned and operated system to award degrees and diplomas to suitably qualified candidates (X), by means of suitable assessment (Y), (in conformance with national standards), in order to demonstrate the capabilities of candidates to potential employers (Z). Issue based (relating to temporary or qualitative concerns, or concerns of judgment) A university owned and operated system to implement a quality service (X), by devising and operating procedures to delight its customers and control its suppliers (Y), in order to improve its educational products (Z).

12. Root definitions- CATWOE • Client is the ‘whom’ (the beneficiary, or victim, affected by the activities) • Actor is the ‘who’ (the agent of change, who carries out the transformation process) • Transformation is the ‘what’ (the change taking place, the ‘core of the root definition’ • Weltanschauung (or world view) is the ‘assumptions’ (the outlook which makes the root definition meaningful) • Owner is the ‘answerable’ (the sponsor or controller) • Environment remains the ‘environment’ (the wider system of which the problem situation is a part)

13. Root Definitions Example: A Manufacturing Company  An example of the CATWOE for a Manufacturing Company (from Checkland and Scholes, 1991) is as follows: C People in the production function A  Professional planners TI = need for production plan => O = need met  W  Rational planning of production (is desirable and is a possibility; there is the degree of stability needed to make rational planning feasible) O  The company as a whole E  Staff and line roles; information availability • Note that this example is for the top-level organizational system of a manufacturing company. It describes the desired company in general terms. If the CATWOE were used to describe a human resources activity system, the CATWOE would be very different.

14. Alternative root definitions Consists of a concise verbal description of the system that captures its essential nature Each root definition says who is doing what for whom, to whom they are answerable, what assumptions are being made, and in what environment this is happening

15. How to Create a Root Definition 1. Write down headings for each of CATWOE categories and try to fill them in 2. Discuss and revise 3. Agree on best definition

16. Holistic techniques Comes from Soft Systems Methodology (3) Conceptual model A technique that shows most important activities in the human activity system and their relationship to one another • Explains how various activities (created in rich picture and root definition) are related, or at least how they are logically connected • Uses root definition as starting point • Once constructed, a model for required activities serving as foundations for information model and a set of recommendations for human activity system are created • Serves three purposes: • an element in the design activities • a media of communication between designers and clients • a set of instructions for developers (programmers) Is a model of the human activity system, not to be confused with other ‘conceptual models’ like data models

17. Conceptual models

19. How to Build a Conceptual Model 1. Examine transformation from root definition 2. Develop small number (5 to 9) of verbs to describe most fundamental activities 3. Decide what system has to do, how to do it, and how to monitor and control 4. Structure similar activities in groups 5. Use arrows to join logically connected activities 6. Verify model against ‘reality’

20. Conceptual models from root definitions

21. Cognitivemapping is a tool for investigating the organization of subjective and/or discursive concepts and thought processes individual or group minds. Cognitive mapping A cognitive map should best be organized around a particular question. • It is a technique used to structure, analyse and make sense of accounts of problems. • These accounts can be verbal - for example, presented at an interview, or documentary. • Cognitive mapping can be used as a note-taking method during an interview with the problem owner and provides a useful interviewing device if used in this way. • Alternatively, it can be used to record transcripts of interviews or other documentary data in a way that promotes analysis, questioning and understanding of the data. Source: Getting Started with Cognitive Mapping http://www.banxia.com/depaper.html

22. Cognitive mapping(Eden and Ackerman, 2001) Cognitivemapping is an established technique in strategic consultancy (Eden et al. 2001), but it has not been widely applied in the Information Systems field. It may be argued, however, to have many characteristics which would commend it for use in information systems development (Brooks and Jones 1996). These include, • simple to use / non-intrusive - pen and paper recording during ‘normal’ interview; • easily comprehensible - uses interviewees own words; • emphasis on negotiation of viewpoints - validation of maps allows exploration/clarification of viewpoints and explicit debate in group sessions; • computer-based support - therefore it may be more acceptable/interesting to IS professionals

23. End of Chapter 10 Thank You for Your Attention