IMS5024 Week 8 1

IMS 5024

Human Activity modelling

IMS5024 Week 8 2

Content

Group assignment presentations Group Assignment Rich pictures Root definitions Conceptual models SSM, Others (Multiview, Ethics) Place in ISD Evaluation of Human Activity modelling

IMS5024 Week 8 3

Group assignment presentations

  Time slot Group name

1 16h05 – 16h20  

2 16h25 – 16h40  

3 16h45 – 17h00  

4 17h05 – 17h20  

5 17h25 – 17h40  

6 17h45 – 18h00  

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Why human behaviour?

Started with participation History of participation - refer back to

Hirschheim et al. Early ISD payed lip service to

participation System technically viable – fail

because?

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History of ISD methodologiesGeneration Principle management and

organisational issues

Formal life-cycle approaches

Control of SDLC; guidance through standardization

Structured approaches

Productivity, better maintainable systems, control over analyst/programmer

Prototyping and evolutionary approaches

Speed and Flexibility, overcome communication gap, right kind of system instead of getting system right

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History of ISD methodologies(2)

Generation Principle management and organisational issues

Socio-technical, participatory approaches

Control of ISD by users through participation; conflict management; joint optimisation

Sense-making and problem formulation approaches

Multiple perspectives in problem framing; software development as social reality construction

IMS5024 Week 8 7

History of ISD methodologies(3)

Generation Principle management and organisational issues

Trade-Union led approaches

Labour/ management conflict; workers rights; industrial democracy

Emancipator

approaches

Improve communication; furthering emancipatory effects of ISD

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Answers to these problems:

More than interviews

HCI

End user computing

JAD and JRP

Prototyping

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Three levels of participation:

Consultative – lowest level Representative – design group, equal

say Consensus- involve all user department

staff, user driven

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Human Activity modelling view of ISD:Conventional

Human-oriented

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Techniques used in human activity modelling

Rich pictures

Root definitions

Conceptual models

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Rich pictures

Informal drawing that represents the illustrator’s understanding of a situation. (Mathiassen et al)

Drawing or diagram of interfaces, boundaries, subsystems, organisation goals, issues, problems, concerns ect

Represent the problem situation Express relationships, value judgments, ‘feel’

for the situation

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Rich pictures

Should be self explanatory Approach:

– Elements of structure– Elements of process (what is going on)

What system can be described in this system? (system is a perceived grouping of people, objects and activities which is meaningful)

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SEIDET Center

Steering committeeTutors

StudentsAdministration

Business

Community

Stakeholders

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Another example of a rich picture

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Symbols for rich pictures

ABC….

123…

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Advantages of Rich pictures

Picture is worth a thousand words Sort out the fundamentals of the

situation Summary of a situation Help move thinking from ‘thinking about

the problem situation’ to ‘thinking about what can be done about the problem situation’

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Disadvantages of rich pictures

Not well-used as DFD, ERD ect.

Might be regarded as a joke

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Root definitions

Identify two things: problems and systems

Plain language Has 6 characteristics

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Characteristics:

Client – Whom (beneficiary, or victim, affected by the activities)

Actor – Who (carries out the transformation) Transformation – what (the change taking

place) Weltanschauung – world view (outlook that

makes the root definition meaningful) Owner – (sponsor or controller) Environment – (wider system the problem

situation is part)

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Example

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Why root definitions:

Clarify the the situation Exposing different views Core purpose of the system Root definition elaborate the core

transformation

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Describe the transformation

TransformationProcessInput Output

An entity Entity is transformed in

Primary SchoolKids educated kidsNeed for education education needs

metTeachers efforts retired teachersGovernment funding Funding used for

teaching purposes

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The role of the computer lab at SEIDET

Computer lab at SEIDET

Compute literate community

CreateCreate

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Aspects of the role of the computer lab at Siyabuswa Client: Community of Siyabuswa Actors: Tutors of the SEIDET Center Transformation: Illiterate community Literate community Worldview: A belief that computer literacy will

create a better standard of living Owners: SEIDET Center Environment: Need of computer knowledge in

the community; appreciation of the needs of the community; appreciation of expectations and believes of the community

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Definition

An SEIDET Center owned system to create a better standard of living by delivering literate users in the Siyabuswa community by using the tutors at the SEIDET Center. The training should be tailored to the needs and the expectations of the community.

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Conceptual models

After the rich picture and the root definition need to build a model which shows how the various activities are related to each other

Two levels: Real world and systems thinking about the real world.

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Objective of the conceptual model What ought to happen to achieve the

goal in the specified root definition Compare with reality and try to identify

the changes needed (ito SSM)

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Create funds for lab maintenance

and setup 1

Set lab up for training purposes

3

Determine needsof tutors 5

Determine needsof community 4

Train tutors to becomputer literate

6Present computerliteracy courses to

community 7

Maintain lab2

Monitor1-7

Definecriteria

Take controlaction

Criteria:Efficacy: Creating computer literate communityEfficiency: Outcome/ resources usedEffectiveness: Creating a better standard of living

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Hard vs soft systems thinking

Well defined problem with a well know list of tasks

Little social interaction SDLC (failure!) Example: build a bridge Problems are real and

solvable System objectives is

easily reachable and defined

Real world seen as systematic

Different perceptions on reality

Human aspects Different solutions Problems not so real

and solvable Objectives can not be

accomplished so easily and is not so definable

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Principles of SSM

A process of learning

Cultural feasibility

Participation

Two modes of thought

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SSM technique/ methodology

It should not be conceived of as a linear progression from on stage to another

A seven stage process of enquiry

MODE I and MODE II

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Phases or stages of SSM

1

2

7 6

3 4

5

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Thinking in Human Activity modelling Hard Vs Soft ?? Perspective

– Objective vs Subjective– Nature of the organisation

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Evaluation of Human Activity modelling

Problem oriented Product oriented

Concep-tual

Structured analysis

Entity relationship modelling

Logical construction of systems

Modern structured analysis

Object oriented analysis

Structured design

Object oriented design

Formal PSL/PSA

JSD

VDM

Levels of abstraction

Stepwise refinement

Proof of correctness

Data abstraction

JSP

Object oriented programming

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Advantages/ Benefits of Human Activity modelling Include different perspectives to a

problem situation Compare reality with the conceptual

model Participation a must Change is an central element of the

process Others??

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Disadvantages of Human Activity modelling Only useable in soft problems Can take a long time to reach

consensus Some managers see this as silly Not well used Others??

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Human Activity modelling view of ISD

Development group

Objectives

Environment

Object system

ObjectsystemChange

process

Hirschheim et al see reading list

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Reading for next week

No reading for next week