Soft Systems Methodology Case Study : Complete Solutions

Soft Systems Methodology Case Study : Complete Solutions

The Complete Solutions plc case is loosely based on a real-world problem situation . A workplace project carried out by an MScInformation Systems Student in the summer of 1999 . It has been developed as a case to support information systems students learning the Soft Systems Methodology as it is felt to be typical of the type of unstructured information management problems facing many rapidly changing , distributed organizations today . The real-world case has been `dramatized ' and exaggerated to emphasize some of the issues . The characters involved

bear no relation to the real-world characters

Contents

Complete Solutions plc - Background

A proposal for a Soft Systems Methodology study of the problem situation

The problem situation expressed , some findings from the preliminary investigation

Complete Solutions Solutions organisational chart

Project Initiation Document (PID

Analysis of sources of information accessed by Complete Solutions staff

Transcripts of Interviews with `problem owners

Complete Solutions plc - Background

Complete Solutions plc (CS ) is a successful IT consultancy business with an annual turnover of ?40 million . The y are mainly based in the North of England , but are branching out and have recently set up an operation in the US and have opened an office in Paris (everybody is applying for a transfer to work there . The company was founded in the late 1980s by three friends when they were made redundant by their employer , a finance and travel agency multi-national based in Manchester

In 1995 CS was taken over by a larger company and two of the founders sold out and retired comfortably to warmer climates . The other founder stayed on as Chairman of CS , although he has a hands off management style and works from his tele-chateau in The Dordogne

The takeover lead to a rapid expansion of the company : in 1995 it was still fairly small and the staff all knew each other by name . Now - in the year 2005 - CS has several sections which are shown on the organisationchart given overleaf . It is still a relatively small organisation with a divisions . The Manchester offices are known as "the hub . This is where all the internal services are based , as well as Sales and Marketing , and the Training Solutions (TS ) consultancy section . The company started off by selling IT training and recruitment services , but is now selling a complete IT consultancy service for businesses - hardware and software sales , software development and support , outsourced services , as well as contractors , training and recruitment

Enterprise Solutions (ES ) is the other consultancy section of CS . They were formed in 1997 when a small consultancy and hardware /software resell er based in Preston joined the group : the offices are still in Preston . The company is planning to float on the stock market in the next 18 months to two years and needs to puts its own house in before then in to gain the confidence of the city

The management of CS are extremely concerned that all is not well within the company and that...