Survey: Usefulness of a GST?

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Jack Ring

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Dec 28, 2014, 12:07:27 PM12/28/14
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Survey

This survey seeks to discover how persons engaged in formulating a mission-specific system design baseline may benefit from a General System Theory, GST. This is not about the content of a GST. It is about the effects a GST may have on system design personnel and process.

All SysSciWG members are invited to respond. Also, please share this with any non-members who engage in system design. Your participation and contribution will be greatly appreciated.

Please complete the items numbered 1 through 4 below. The results will be reviewed at IW15.

Participant Viewpoint

A GST can have many uses. For this survey please focus on the usefulness of a GST from the viewpoint of formulating a System Design Baseline, SDB, for System X.  The SDB may include:

a) a prescriptive model of the envisioned suppression system for a described problem situation,

b) estimate of the effects the envisioned suppression system will cause on the problem situation,

c) estimate of the suppression system readiness when and while needed as enabled by suppression system resiliency and support arrangements.

d) probable error in both estimates.

Note that the focus is on the SDB, not the eventually deployed system.

Survey Question

From the designer viewpoint, what attributes of a GST would be beneficial to you in deciding what’s included and not included in the SDB?

Scoring method

You have ten tokens. Allocate them as you like across the four claims below (including your recommended claim). All 10 tokens can be put on one claim or any one or more claims can have zero tokens.

Claims:

Please select REPLY (not Reply All) then allocate your tokens to the X fields in the following claims,

__X__     1) A GST will state its limits of applicability, if any.

__X__     2) A GST will help ensure the SDB is fit for purpose, i.e., a viable Baseline.

__X__     3) A GST will help resolve conflicts, tensions and ambiguities in arriving at an accepted SDB.

__X__     4) A GST will (replace this with your claim about one attribute of a GST that you will find useful in formulating a SDB).

Obviously the value of this survey will depend on the individual responder claims so please focus carefully on #4, what a GST can do for you.

Please respond by January 9, 2015 in time for reporting results at IW15.

Thanking you in advance,

Jack Ring 

James Martin

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Dec 28, 2014, 9:59:37 PM12/28/14
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All,

If you want to respond to this survey, please reply directly to Jack at jri...@gmail.com.

If you just hit Reply, then the list server will automatically send your reply to the entire group (which is OK if you don't mind having everyone see your response).

James

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Jack Ring

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Dec 28, 2014, 11:09:41 PM12/28/14
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My apology for misdirecting the requested response. 
Do not use Reply. Instead, use Forward and address it to jri...@gmail.com then edit the four items and send.
Jack

Curt McNamara

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Dec 28, 2014, 11:15:13 PM12/28/14
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Clarification requested -- I have googled parts (and all) of the phrase:

"suppression system for a described problem situation"

There is no definition with respect to systems, and the intended meaning is not clear to this observer.

Can you define the phrase "suppression system"?


           Curt

Jack Ring

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Dec 29, 2014, 12:45:19 AM12/29/14
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Curt,
There are problems and solutions. However in larger, complex situations there are problem systems and problem suppression systems. 
Many people talk about problem solving. However, Warfield and others have noted that in complex situations we rarely solve problems, all we do is suppress problem characteristics while knowing that new problems will emerge elsewhere.
Stakeholders frustrated by their inability to cope with problem systems engage systems people to devise problem suppression systems. Possibly a General System Theory will provide perspective for these systems people. The focus on this survey is on how a GST may help them.
Does this suffice?
Jack
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