Scientific and Social Aspects of Systems Analysis: Proposal for a Conceptual Framework for the State-of-the-Art Series in Applied Systems Analysis

The author argues that the accomplishments, failures, and future prospects of systems analysis can be properly assessed only by taking into consideration the craft characteristics and the social aspects of analytic activity. This broader view of the analytic process will then be used to outline a conceptual framework from which the editorial program of IIASA's Survey Project can acquire direction and meaning

The State-of-the-Art of Systems-Analysis: Proposed Outline for a Series and Handbook

This Working Paper contains the text of a brochure sent to 250 scientists around the world through IIASA's 14 NMOs. It presents an outline of the proposed structure and content for IIASA's State-of-the-Art publications, a Series and Handbook. The outline presented here is the result of several iterations, during which comments from IIASA scientists have been exceptionally helpful. We are distributing the outline in this Working Paper both to inform those who have helped us of how we have used their comments, and to solicit further contributions from IIASA scientists

The State-of-the-Art Questionnaire on Applied Systems Analysis: A Report on the Responses

This publication is the second report by the Survey Project on the structure and content of a proposed Series of monographs and a Handbook to survey the state-of-the-art of applied systems analysis. In the first report (RR-76-16, Systems Analysis: An Outline for the State-of-the-Art Survey Publications, July 1976), we presented a revised outline and current guidelines for the Survey Project publication program; in the present document, the sequel. we discuss the response to a questionnaire -- distributed widely throughout the systems analyst community -- upon which our revised outline is based. This report should be of interest to the questionnaire respondents, and to a wider audience as well. in that it reflects what some 160 analysts and others associated with systems analysis think about systems analysis, what they consider to be vital and important in this area, and what they think to be peripheral or of minor relevance