save time, money and bloodshed with soft system discovery
DESCRIPTION
We've all been part of those projects. The kick-off meeting goes well. Then the wheels fall off the bus with designers fighting developers and both hating the SEO. Stop the madness with Soft System Discovery a prescriptive method that delivers a shared vision of success.TRANSCRIPT
Breaking Down Barriers to
Deliver SuccessPRESENTATION PREPARED BY:
Marianne Sweeny
SR Search Strategist
#PORTENTUThis is the hashtag
PORTENT.CO/ssm-discoveryThese are the links
(Yes, use .co, not .com)
HERE BE DRAGONS 5
PROJECT PLAYERS
Us
Them
Their target
6
EVERY PROJECT STARTS WITH A PLAN 7
ALSO UNSTRUCTURED PROBLEMS
Dynamic
Multiple stakeholders
Conflicting interests
Uncertainties of many types
Intangibles
8
CLIENT DISCOVERY
9
CLIENT DISCOVERY TODAY
Sales contact
Questionnaire
Client meeting
Email, phone calls, more email, stand up meetings, more mail, more phone calls, internal meetings, client meeting (?), more phone calls, more meetings, meetings about meetings, email, email, email.
10
DISCOVERY MEETING 11
OUTCOME
Questionnaire
Meeting minutes
PowerPoint
Expensive box lunch with big cookie
12
You going to finish that
cookie?
ROADMAP? 13
WTF?
14
15
WHY IS A DISCOVERY SESSION SO IMPORTANT
Because…
ENGINEERS THINK THAT …
User behavior is predictable
User behavior is consistent
Process can be automated
Transmission of the output (data) is the end result
16
IN THE REAL WORLD
User behavior is…
Interpretive
Meaning is constructed in relation to unique situation
User behavior changes due to changing context
Information is processed before and after the system
17
SYSTEM THINKING IS
Linear
Object-oriented
Mechanistic passive users
Atomistic view of data (discrete items)
Contained situationality
18
OUTSIDE OF STAR TREK
The real world is…
Chaotic
Subjective
Constructivist active user
Holistic view that encompasses additional elements for context
Internal cognition
Trans-situationality
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SOFT SYSTEM METHODOLOGY
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Everyday life develops in all of us trusted intellectual structures which
to us seem good enough to make sense of our experiences, and in
general we are reluctant to abandon or modify them even.
SSM PROCESS
Use it to GET information needed for various system components
IDENTIFY wide and sub systems to be supported by new/modified system
STRUCTURE an analysis and design process to facilitate mapping of information to issues
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STAGE 1: BUILD A CONSENSUS MODEL
Express the current situation and surface the plurality of project team world views
23
STAGE 2: EXPRESS THE ISSUES
Discussion
Consensus
Model (represent)
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STAGE 3: AGREEMENT & ACTION PLANS
Develop agreement and action plans through process of accommodation
25
STAGE 4: EXECUTE
Execute on action plans for purposeful activity
26
CATWOE
Customers who benefits from the system
transform
Actors who facilitate the transformation
Transformation process where inputs become
outputs
World views that give the transformation
meaning
Owner to whom system is answerable to
Environment or constraints on system
27
SO WHAT, YOU SAY?
PROJECT PARTICIPANT VIEW FROM THIS TO…
29
TO THIS 30
And that’s a good thing
31
SSM & CLIENT DISCOVERY
DISCOVER
Discover client world views, environment, cultural and political influences
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REVEAL
Reveal the interacting systems within organizations (client and ours)
33
DEFINE
Define user purposeful activities (what problems are we trying to solve)
34
SHIFT
Shift thinking from optimizing for the technology to optimizing for the users
35
ITERATE
Iterate the SSM throughout the engagement to meet shifting conditions
36
SO THIS 37
BECOMES THIS
And that’s a very good thing
38
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SSM DISCOVERY OUTCOMES
CLIENT –SPECIFIC CATWOE
Who are the customers?
Who does the work?
What are the world views that govern our work?
Who “owns” the project?
What are the environmental influences?
What are the systems and subsystems?
What inputs become transform into what outputs?
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PURPOSEFUL ACTIVITY 41
MODELS IN REAL WORLD SITUATION 42
MILESTONES AND TASKS 43
ACTION PLANS 44
45
SAVE TIME
46SAVE MONEY
47
END RESULT 48
PORTENT.CO/ssm-discovery
These are the links
(Yes, use .co, not .com)
Q&A#PORTENTU
THANK YOUFOR ATTENDING
Me:@msweeny