A systems analysis methodology is developed and applied in cases where decision-makers, at the initial stage, lack sufficient information about the problem situation to choose a method for its formal representation, construct a mathematical model, or apply one of the newer approaches to modeling that combine qualitative and quantitative techniques.
In such cases, it can be helpful to represent the object as a system, to organize a process of collective decision-making involving specialists from various fields of knowledge, to employ different methods of formal modeling alongside techniques for eliciting expert intuition, and to switch methods as understanding of the object or situation deepens.
To organize such a process, one must define a sequence of stages, recommend methods for carrying them out, and provide for returning to earlier stages when necessary. Such a sequence of specifically identified and ordered stages, together with recommended methods and techniques for their execution, constitutes the structure of a systems analysis methodology.
Analyzing various systems analysis methodologies, one can observe that all of them, in one form or another, include the following stages:
- identifying problems and setting goals;
- developing alternatives and a decision-making model;
- evaluating alternatives, finding a solution, and implementing it;
- assessing the effectiveness of decisions and the consequences of their implementation;
- designing the organization to achieve the goals.