Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is an interpretive, action-research approach for structuring and managing complex, ill-defined ('soft') problem situations involving human activity. Developed by Peter Checkland at Lancaster University throughout the 1970s and formally presented in 1981, SSM guides practitioners through iterative cycles of inquiry that move from an unstructured problem situation to purposeful action through structured learning rather than optimization.