Soft Systems Methodology

SSM is less of a visual tool and more of a mindset or shift in perspective. In order to effectively use it, you must keep in mind that SSM revolves around the idea of thinking of a situation as a series of systems working and impacting each other, which creates the results you see. Instead of problems to fix, there are only systems to improve. There are a number of methods to help get into the SSM mindset, but this one is universal.

First, identify what factors are at play in the situation you are trying to address and what causes those factors. These can be anything from key organizations or people to the broader environment or social standings. As you identify these components and their causes and effects, you will slowly develop the “system” of your situation and how these factors impact each other. If it helps, you can visualize these relationships as something like a flow chart linking different topics and ideas.

Once you have identified the components in the situation’s system, think about what is reasonably within your power to change and what impact it would have on the other components you’ve identified. The idea is to look for places in which you can affect the system to improve it or the outcome you are looking for. Finding these points of change will help you define what meaningful actions you can take to help improve the situation.