Hard systems is a problem-solving approach in
systems science
Systems science, also referred to as systems research or simply systems, is a transdisciplinary field that is concerned with understanding simple and complex systems in nature and society, which leads to the advancements of formal, natural, socia ...
. It can be contrasted with
soft systems, for which
systems thinking
Systems thinking is a way of making sense of the complexity of the world by looking at it in terms of wholes and relationships rather than by splitting it down into its parts.Anderson, Virginia, & Johnson, Lauren (1997). ''Systems Thinking Ba ...
must handle many ill-defined, or not easily quantified elements.
Hard systems approaches such as
systems analysis
Systems analysis is "the process of studying a procedure or business to identify its goal and purposes and create systems and procedures that will efficiently achieve them". Another view sees systems analysis as a problem-solving technique that ...
(structured methods),
operations research
Operations research () (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a branch of applied mathematics that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve management and ...
and so on, assume that the problems associated with such systems are well-defined and likely to have a single,
optimum
Mathematical optimization (alternatively spelled ''optimisation'') or mathematical programming is the selection of a best element, with regard to some criteria, from some set of available alternatives. It is generally divided into two subfiel ...
solution, so a
problem-solving
Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...
approach will work well as technical factors tend to predominate.
[Michael C. Jackson (1991). Systems methodology for the management sciences. New York, NY: Plenum Press.][Michael C. Jackson (2003). Systems thinking: Creative holism for managers. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.]
Developments in hard systems thinking
Hard systems began to emerge as a distinct philosophy in the 1950s.
See also
*
Systems engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their Enterprise life cycle, life cycles. At its core, systems engineering uti ...
*
Systems analysis
Systems analysis is "the process of studying a procedure or business to identify its goal and purposes and create systems and procedures that will efficiently achieve them". Another view sees systems analysis as a problem-solving technique that ...
*
Systems dynamics
References
Systems theory
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