AN APPRECIATION OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
Abstract
Does analysis help more in the narrow context problems, where it has commonly been applied by scientists, or in the broad context problems, which are the special province of systems analysts. On the basis of results, certainly one would have to say that the case for analysis in broad context problems is comparatively unproved. However, it is suggested that one reason why, when we are dealing with broad problems with broad systems analyses, explicit analysis using explicit models can be especially important. But in these cases we are dealing with a field so broad that no one can be called expert. A typical systems analysis depends critically on numerous technological factors in several fields of technology; on military operations and logistics factors on both our side and the enemy's; on broad economic, political and strategic factors; and on quite intricate relations among all these. No one is an expert in more than one or two of the sub-fields; no one is an expert in the field as a whole and the interrelations. So no one's unsupported intuitions in such a field can be trusted. Systems analyses should be looked upon not as the antithesis of judgment but as a framework which permits the judgment of experts in numerous sub-fields to be combined--to yield results which transcend any individual judgment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 18, 1955
- Accession Number
- AD0422837
Entities
People
- Charles Hitch
Organizations
- RAND Corporation