A generalized framework and methodology for systems analysis

Systems analysis is evolving into a coherent field of research and practice. Several decades of interdisciplinary problem-solving efforts have yielded considerable insight and an impressive array of techniques to help accomplish systems analysis. But the extended evolution of systems analysis has created a challenging problem for the modern student, scholar, teacher, and practitioner: an overabundant, highly specialized body of literature that is difficult to grasp in terms of a generalized framework and methodology. The need for a comprehensive synthesis of systems analysis knowledge is apparent, since modern systems analysts apply their skills in a complex arena: policy analysis of large-scale societal systems.