The application of an expert system shell to an unstructured domain of expertise: Using expert system technology to teach SSM

Action research is orchestrated by the interaction between theory and practice as exemplified by soft systems methodology (SSM). The use of computers has traditionally been developed out of what has been referred to as the ‘rationalistic’ tradition which represents the search for solutions for pre-determined, logical goals (Winograd & Flores). Action research anticipates the need to explore and learn about each intervention into human activity, using models thought to be relevant to thinking about the world to help structure the learning process. In comparison, the ‘rationalistic’ tradition seeks universal laws for behaviour and uses validated models of the reality represented by these laws to solve problems. It would seem, therefore, that to translate SSM into a computer-based format would be dialectically opposed to the intellectual framework in which the methodology is seated. However, the authors suggest that there is one area in which a computer-based version of SSM may be useful. This paper describes an exploratory study of the application of expert system technology as an aid to teaching SSM.