A Sample Glossary of Systems Analysis

Every activity -- and systems analysis is no exception tends to develop its own vocabulary. Indeed, systems analysis, because of its interdisciplinary nature, has been more prone than most not only to invent new words for new concepts but also -- and more often -- to borrow established terms from the disciplines it employs and to change their meaning, sometimes slightly, sometimes grossly, sometimes inconsistently. The result of this can be confusion, misunderstanding, and failure of communication. This glossary is an attempt at resolving part of the ambiguity. The glossary, as it stands now, is tentative. It has been prepared for the preliminary version of the Handbook of Applied Systems Analysis, and the terms included are those used in the Handbook