alt c 2013 presentation

A Synthesis of Modelling Tools forEducational Management Systems Design

ALT-C 2013: Technological Developments for Strategy and Institutional Practice

Professor Tony TooleFaculty of Applied Design and Engineering


An Overview of Management Modelling

The purpose of management modelling is to encourage and contribute to a systematic and structured approach to management systems planning. It aids the planning process by presenting existing and proposed management systems in an easily assimilated way. The models are designed to assist systems thinking by providing routes through the planning process that generate consistency and lead to realistic and achievable solutions.

Enterprise Architecture

Viable Systems Modelling

Soft Systems Modelling

Combined they deliver a realistic, practical and achievable

management syste

ms design specification



Business Process Layer

Applications Layer

Technical Infrastructure Layer

But using EA soon reveals that complex organisations are

made up of independent self-m

anaging sub-systems ...


Viable Systems Modelling

Self Managing Sub-systems

Recursive Structure

Control and communications Capacity

But complex organisations are also human activity systems and

the fuzzy nature of such systems needs to be accommodated ...


Soft Systems Modelling

The Soft Systems Modelling approach encourages constant reflection on how things happen in real world situations. It doesn’t so much describe how the information management system actually works, but how the stakeholders think it works, how they think it should work and how they would personally like it to work.

Root Definition of the problem

Conceptual Model of the solution

Designing a realistic and workable systemHaving used SSM do define the management problem that

needs a solution, VSM can then be used to evaluate the

management sub-system capacity to deliver th

at solution

and EA can be used to design the delivery infrastructure.


Case Study: Student Attendance Monitoring

Root Definition of the problem:The creation and implementation of an information management system that accurately and consistently records and reports on the participation of students in planned learning activities.

Conceptual Model of the solution:1. A data capture system that records individual student attendance at scheduled, location specific, learning activities;2. An online information management application that receives attendance data and presents it for management use at module, course, faculty and institutional levels;3. The management of data capture being the responsibility of the individual session tutor and that automatically populates the online management application;4. The student attendance information being used at tutor and course team level to trigger student support actions where problems are indicated;5. The student attendance information being available to appropriate levels of management for internal and external performance reporting.


Viable Systems Model

A Synthesis of Modelling Tools forEducational Management Systems Design


Professor Tony Toole

[email protected] http://smudieprojectblog.blogspot.co.uk/

mailto:[email protected]

http://smudieprojectblog.blogspot.co.uk/