Systems Thinking, Systems Practice, Peter Checkland

Systems Thinking, Systems Practice: Includes a 30 Year Retrospective

This book contains a good description of Human Activity Systems (HAS) based on a root definition to describe a human activity system (CATWOE). These are both used in the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM).

The concept of the Root Definition has been extended to the System Description that is produced using the System Description Architecture Description Framework. The Human Activity System has also been extended from living social systems.

The book also contains a simple system classification scheme that is being used to define a Earth (Gaia) as a System of Systems model. The system classification system is described in the book from page 102 to page 122. Figure 4, page 112 highlights the 5 system classes. This book also has a good glossary of terms.

This system classification scheme is also being used as the System Classification Framework for the System Description Architecture Description Framework. This framework captures the identified systems and their type.

This book relates to the following System Concepts.

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