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SDM 5002 SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
BUS TRANSPORT IN SINGAPORE
TEAM MEMBERS
CHONG KHAI SIN HT072850H
GOH SIONG TECK HT072853R
HOSSAM EL SHENAWY HT072894R
LIM CHING WU, LESLIE HT063039Y
LIM CHUN PENG, ALVIN HT063324Y
TAN SUNG CHYN HT062932E
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CONTENTS
1.INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................3
Soft Systems Methodology...........................................................................3Singapore Bus System ..................................................................................3
2. SOFT SYSTEMS METHODOLOGY PROCESS STEPS.................................53. APPLYING SSM TO THE SINGAPORE BUS SYSTEM CASE ......................7
Descriptive Scenario Questions ...................................................................7Normative scenario questions......................................................................8Root Definition Statement #1: .....................................................................12Conceptual Model based on Root Definition #1 ........................................12Comparison between conceptual model #1 and real situation ................13Root Definition Statement #2 ......................................................................13Comparison between conceptual model #2 and real situation ................15
4. LESSONS LEARNED & TEAM DYNAMICS.................................................185.
CONCLUSION...............................................................................................20
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................21
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1. INTRODUCTION
SOFT SYSTEMS METHODOLOGY
Peter Checkland at Lancaster University developed Soft SystemsMethodology (SSM) in the 1960s. The methodology was developed toaddress difficulties in solving complex, dynamic and multi perspective socialproblems using traditional hard systems engineering principles such asOperations Research (OR).
SSM is a participative process of enquiry that stimulates thinking about thereal word situation. Through the enquiry process, the method formulates aroot definition, which describes what the system should do in an ideal view. Aroot definition is developed on the basis of a certain world-view. There can bemultiple world-views, which will yield multiple root definitions.
Subsequently, an idealized conceptual model is built based on the rootdefinition. The conceptual model incorporates all the activities that arenecessary to fulfill the requirements of the root definition. This conceptualmodel is then compared to the perceived reality with the aim of highlightingkey differences between the systems where changes can be made forimprovements.
SINGAPORE BUS SYSTEM
The bus system in Singapore provides a means of public travel for themasses with over two million rides taken daily. There are two main operatorsin this system, SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation. The two operators servedesignated areas of operation, and plan the bus routes based on commercialconsiderations, subject to minimum service obligations. Bus routes can bebroadly categorized into Trunk (routes that ply between towns) and Feeder(Operating within neighborhoods).
As reported in the 2008 Land Transport Review study, key criticisms of thesystem include long waiting time, erratic bus arrivals, circuitous feeders and
overcrowding. This has led to a situation where out of more than 250 busservices; only 35% are run at intervals of 10 minutes or less.
The recent transport initiative addresses primarily on vehicle congestion, roadpricing and public transport service standards. There will be a road expansionprogram with plans to improve expressways (CTE/TPE), building roads forfuture and upgrading of road interchanges. Given our limited land space, theroad network expansion will reduce over the next 15 years. As a result, it isplanned to reduce vehicle growth rate from 3% to 1.5% and the increase intravel demand must be met largely by public transport. The effectiveness ofcongestion /road pricing system will be enhanced by refining the
measurement of traffic speeds and revision of the ERP rate structure. Effortsare also planned to manage congestion in city area.
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The key public transport initiative is to make public transport a choice made.The bus and rail will be planned as an integrated system from commutersviewpoint, with more frequent services and seamless transfers expected.
There will be expansion to the rail network. Bus services will be affectedgreatly where LTA will undertake centralized bus network planning.Improvements will be made to the fare system, travel information, transporthub and road priority measures. Feeder and premium bus service is alsotargeted for improvements. Some of the details are listed below:
Distance-based through fares to facilitate transfers More integrated public transport service information More integrated public transport hubs More bus priority measures to speed up buses and improve
timeliness Bus services will be allowed to duplicate routes along sections of
North-South and East-West lines with heavy passenger loading,giving commuters more choices
Increasing Basic Bus Service Frequencies On corridors affected by ERP, all bus services will have peak
period frequencies of no more than 12 min by June 08 and10 min by Aug 09
Frequency for feeder buses will be increased to allow quickerconnections to MRT stations and bus interchanges
Expand premium bus services to corridors affected by ERP (byJune 08)
New services will link more residential areas (Punggol,Katong, Balestier, Holland, Choa Chu Kang, Yishun) to cityareas (Shenton Way, Suntec City and Orchard Road)
Return trips in the evenings for high demand services
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2. SOFT SYSTEMS METHODOLOGY PROCESS STEPS
The steps of SSM consist of seven stages.
Stage 1: Enter the real-world situation considered problematicThis stage aims to capture the main data and information on the situation.Methods used are both formal and informal, including examination of writtenrecords, interviews and direct observation.
Stage 2: Expressing the problem situationThe findings from the first stage are summarized in a rich picture. This istypically a cartoon-like sketch or diagrammatic representation of the currentsituation.
Stage 3: Formulating Root DefinitionsA root definition is an idealized view of the system. Checkland designed themnemonic CATWOE to ensure that root definitions are well defined. The mainportion of the root definition is the Transformation process, which describesthe purposeful activity that changes some defined input into some definedoutput.Use it when seeking to implement the solution, to help consider the impact onthe people involved. CATWOE stands for:
C = Customers
Who is on the receiving end?What problem do they have now?How will they react to what you are proposing?Who are the winners and losers?
A = ActorsWho are the actors who will 'do the doing', carrying out your solution?What is the impact on them?How might they react?
T = Transformation processWhat is the process for transforming inputs into outputs?What are the inputs? Where do they come from?What are the outputs? Where do they go?What are all the steps in between?
W = World View (Weltanschauung)What is the bigger picture into which the situation fits?What is the real problem you are working on?What is the wider impact of any solution?
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O = OwnerWho is the real owner or owners of the process or situation you are
changing?Can they help you or stop you?
What would cause them to get in your way?What would lead them to help you?
E = Environmental constraintsWhat are the broader constraints that act on the situation and your
ideas?What are the ethical limits, the laws, financial constraints, and limited
resources? Regulations, and so on?How might these constrain your solution? How can you get around
them?
Stage 4: Building Conceptual ModelsThis step models the ideal system using the five Es as criteria: Efficacy(whether it will work); Efficiency (whether it will work with minimum resources);Effective (whether it helps to achieve the higher-level aim); Elegance (whetherit is beautiful) and Ethicality (whether it is moral).
Stage 5: Comparing models and realityThe conceptual model is then compared with the current system. This can bedone by a series of questions such as whether activities in the model exist inthe current system etc.
Stage 6: Defining ChangeThis stage aims to define a change that is both systemically desirable andculturally feasible and the steps to effect the change.
Stage 7: Taking ActionThis stage completes SSM analysis by implementing the changes that areconsidered both desirable and feasible.
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3. APPLYING SSM TO THE SINGAPORE BUS SYSTEM CASE
DESCRIPTIVE SCENARIO QUESTIONS
a) Who uses the bus system? And why? Social Class Perspective: Blue-Collar Workers, Middle Class. Ownership Perspective: Those who do not own a private car or cant drive. Economic Perspective: Those who cannot afford buying a private car, or those who
want to save money by riding bus to work. Demographic Perspective: Students, the elderly, the handicapped.
b) What kinds of buses are there? Who operates them? Large public listed companies (e.g. SBS Transit) Private small businesses.
c) What is the use of the bus system? Why cant we do away with it? It is an essential enabler to the national economy (efficient point
to point transportation system as long as the economy is largelydepending on jobs that stipulate physical presence.)
Environmentally demanded (limited space, pollution, energyconsumption.)
Provides greater reach than arterial means like MRT trains etc. Cheaper alternative to taxis.
d) What are the current features of the system? Are they good (or bad)? Towhat are they attributable?
Long route/ short route bus transport. Accessibility/ inaccessibility (tied to bus station location and bus
frequency, service not continuous in both space and time.) Air-con subsystem (climate control/ respiratory disease
transmission.)
Fare structure favors students and the elderly. Fossil fuel based.
e) Whats wrong with the current system? Are these symptoms? Or are theremore fundamental causes?
Service not continuous in both space and time (inherent). Pollution, climate control subsystem problems, etc. (can be
mitigated). Minimal control over external factors, road conditions, traffic
congestion. Affects service levels.
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NORMATIVE SCENARIO QUESTIONS
a) What would an ideal bus system for year 2018 be like? Would there even
be one then? The ideal bus system has to satisfy the following criteria: Free of Charge. Service is continuous both in space and time. Responsive to real-time capacity changes. Optimizes travel time and distance for every passenger. Zero environmental pollution. Seamlessly connects to or subsumes other means of
transportation (e.g. air, train, etc.) Zero accident rate.
Healthy climate control system eliminates the risk of contractingrespiratory diseases.
100% secure (crisis and emergency response system.) Information service (about destination, weather, connections,
etc.) Comfortable. Used by everyone in the society. Used any time, reaches everywhere, i.e. continuous access both
in space and time. Doorstep delivery No limit on cargo (i.e. if I am carrying large parcels or pets, I can
and would take the bus) Possibly customizable routes, perhaps in times of low demand
b) There will be always a bus system as long as the needs for it do exist(economic/ environmental.)
There may not be a bus system if other personal transportmeans take off and become affordable and widely supported(e.g. Segway)
c) Who would be using the bus system? And why?
Everyone in society (as it becomes very convenient to use,population of Singapore would be around 5.5 mi). It may have already become the default mode of transport. i.e.
Private transportation is reduced through legislation or othermeasures.
d) What features/ functionalities are necessary and whats desirable?All features and functionalities mentioned in the ideal solution are
necessary. Even being free of charge which appears to be adesirable feature, remains necessary to make it attractive foreveryone to use.
e) How should a bus system be organized?
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Publicly owned (competition entails fragmentation and the systembecomes difficult to manage and be integrated.)
Centrally planned.Seamlessly integrates with or subsumes other passenger
transport systems.
f) What technologies would be available? What would be the impact on thebus system?
Autonomous Car Technology (driverless).New cheap and clean energy sources.Artificial intelligence (in control subsystem).Superconductivity.Self-maintenance/ cleaning capabilities.Alternative fuels
Real-time and predictive info on arrivals etc.
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STAGES 1 & 2: The team brainstormed the answers to the descriptivescenario questions. A rich picture is then derived torepresent the problem situation.
LONG/SHORT ROUTE ACCESSIBLE AIRCON SYSTEM FARE STRUCTURE FAVORS
STUDENTS AND ELDERLY
SBS
SMRT
PRIVATE BUSCOMPANIES
REGULATORS
COMMUTERS:
BLUE COLLAR WORKERS DO NOT OWN/CANNOT
AFFORD CAR
STUDENTS, ELDER,HANDICAPPED
INACCECESSIBLE IN TERMS OFSTATION LOCATION AND BUSFREQENCY
SERVICE NOT CONTINUOUS IN TIMEAND SPACE
FOSSIL FUEL BASED POLLUTION, CLIMATE CONTROL
SUBSYSTEM PROBLEMS
ESSENTIAL ENABLER TONATIONAL ECONMY
ENVIRONMENTALLY DEMANDED
NEEDSREVIEW
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STAGE 3: The team then builds on the existing resources to attempt tocome out with a root definition by means of CATWOE analysis.
Keywords were focused on, analyzed and then summarized tobecome the root definition.
CUSTOMERS ACTORS TRANSFORMATIONPROCESS
WORLD VIEW OWNER ENVIRONMENTALCONSTRAINTS
Public Blue-collars Middle-class Non-car
owners Poor people
Dependents(Student /Elderly)
LTA Bus companies Vendors Comfort Delgro Shell Exxon Mobil
SMRT URA
Moving people
Input: Customersneeds to travel todestination.
Transformation:Customerstransported
Output: Customersneeds fulfilled andtransported todestination.
Cheaptransportationnetwork basedon routes.Accessible,commodity for
the massmarket.Averageservice withacceptablesafety andcomfortrequirements,congestionlevel andoperatinghours.
LTA Private
serviceproviders
Space Noise Emission Pollution Regulation Geography
Traffic (Other roadusers)
STAGES 4 AND 5: From the CATWOE analyses, the team then proceededto describe the system with one or more root definitions.After the development of the root definition, this idealsystem is then modeled using the five Es, namelyefficacy, efficiency, effectiveness, elegance and ethicality.
This conceptual system is then compared with thecurrent system in the real situation through aseries of questions pertaining to the activitiesoccurring in the system.
The team used a benchmarking approach and lookfor dramatic changes between the systems byfocusing on the key deliverables and practicality ofideas.
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ROOT DEFINITION STATEMENT #1:
An affordable and regulated means of public transportation, which providesacceptable safety and comfortable service within existing space, legal and
traffic constraints.
CONCEPTUAL MODEL BASED ON ROOT DEFINITION #1
Measures of performance for the bus system: Efficacy: Are the passengers being transported to their desired
destinations? Efficiency: Are the passengers being served at a reasonable cost and
trip duration? Effectiveness: Does the bus system serve the transportation needs of
the masses? Elegance: Is the system comprehensive? Ethical: Is the transformation morally correct?
Maintain buses ingood operating
Providecomfortableenvironment
during commute
Transportpassenger to
destination
Provide safetyand protection
duringcommute
Plan staffingrequirements
Plan &schedule
routes
Setreasonablefare price
Observe and adhereto government and
environmentalregulations
Monitoractivities
Take controlaction
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COMPARISON BETWEEN CONCEPTUAL MODEL #1 AND REALSITUATION
Activity Is it done in the realsituation? How?
Comments
Plan staffingrequirements
Service providersallocate staffingrequirementsaccording to demand
Cases of poor busconditions could be due topoor maintenanceplanning
Set reasonable fareprice
Fare is generallyaffordable, but fareincreases do not
always come withimproved service
Centralized (government)planning may regulatefares but remove price
competition for serviceimprovement.
Maintain buses in goodoperating condition
Service providers keepbuses regularlymaintained andcleaned
Breakdowns areoccasional and dirty busespossible.
Plan and scheduleroutes
Service providers planroutes according todemand after meetingminimum obligations
set by government
Overcrowding andbunching of buses point topoor planning andanticipation of traffic
conditions.Observe and adhere togovernmental andenvironmentalregulations
Road system isregulated by LTA.Buses are at leastEuro III.
Some Euro (IV) busesnewly introduced, but allstill remain fossil fuelbased.
Provide safety andprotection duringcommute
Buses give moderateprotection in event ofaccidents.
Low floor aidsembarking/disembarking.No seat belts.
Provide comfortableenvironment during
commute
Air-conditioned,cushioned seats,
damped rides.
Overcrowding affectscomfort levels
Transport passenger todestination
Passengers embarkand disembark at busstops.
Reach of bus network canbe improved.
ROOT DEFINITION STATEMENT #2
A transportation system to provide mass transit through managing fleets ofbuses, in order to move people safely & comfortably at affordable pricesunder legal and traffic constraints.
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Conceptual Model based on Root Definition #2
Measures of performance for the bus system:
Efficacy: Are the passengers being transported to their desireddestinations? Efficiency: Are the passengers being served at a reasonable cost and
trip duration? Effectiveness: Does the bus system serve the transportation needs of
the masses (comfort and safety)? Elegance: Is the transformation comprehensive? Ethical: Is the transformation morally correct?
Managing of resources $$
Purchasing busof choice
Setting of fares
Maintaining
of buses
Setting of busfrequency
Planning of routes
Choice to taking bus
Considerationof choices
Moving peopleFollowing trafficrules
Meeting statutorystandards
Acting to
remedy
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COMPARISON BETWEEN CONCEPTUAL MODEL #2 AND REALSITUATION
Activity Is it done in the realsituation? How?
Comments
Managing of resources Service providersallocate resourcesbased on profitability
Often results in minimalperformance standardswith no social obligation
Planning of routes /Setting of busfrequency
Service providers planroutes according todemand & profitabilityafter meeting minimum
obligations set bygovernment
Overcrowding andbunching of buses pointto poor planning andanticipation of traffic
conditions.
Consideration ofchoices
MRT, taxi or privatecars are the otheroptions. MRT servesdifferent routes. Restsare not priced close tobe consideredsubstitutes.
Rising taxi fares makesthe price gap even wider.Cost of private carownership is alsoescalating due to higherERP, fuel and COE.
Choice of taking bus Wide reach of bus
network makes itfavorable.
Without price comparable
alternatives, manychoose to take busdespite all of itsshortcomings. Becominga case of make-do.
Meeting statutorystandards
LTA states maximumbus frequency andservice standards interms of comfort andsafety
Service provider usuallymeets LTAs standardsbut not commutersexpectations.
Moving people Passengers embarkand disembark at busstops.
Reach of bus networkcan be improved.
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Stage 6: Possible solution based on SSM analysis
A possible solution based on the above analysis would draw heavily on therecent advances in Autonomous Car Technology (see picture and technology
overview below). The new driverless vehicles will allow the public bus systemto evolve into a more personalized one, where a large number of smallerdriverless vehicles, each with a typical capacity of 4 passengers, will replacethe conventional large-vehicle system.
Unlike their old predecessors, the new environmentally-friendly, electrically-powered vehicles will be able to stop anywhere along the roadside, and areavailable for use 24hrs/7 weekdays. After bringing its customers to the exactlocation they wished for, an autonomousvehicle will be able to choose its nextparking location, regroup or distribute with
other vehicles according to real-timefluctuations in demand. A parking vehiclewill make use of its idle time to recharge itsbatteries from the continuously availableelectrical power source along the roadside.Their movement will be confined to aspecially reserved two-lane partition on allroads nationwide. The public vehicles will be allowed to park, drop-off, andpick-up passengers from the lane next to the roadside. The other lane isreserved for the speeding vehicles. In the unlikely occasion of one vehiclesuffering from a breakdown, a nearby idle vehicle will be able to sense this
and will dock with it and tow it to the nearest service station.
A great part of the service cost, if not all of it, will be absorbed by advertisingrevenues. In-vehicle interactive advertisements can take the passengers withjust one click to the restaurant that offers their favorite dish, or enables themto buy discounted tickets to a movie that will start shortly, and the moviehouse is willing to accept a lower price for the tickets. The sky is the limit forpossible advertisement schemes in this new setting.
Technology Overview
Stanley is the name of the autonomous vehicle shown in the above picture.It is the result of collaborative efforts between Volkswagen's Palo AltoElectronic Research Laboratory, Volkswagen Research Centre (Germany)and Stanford University (US). It is only one example for success in the field ofAutonomous Car Technology. For other research in this field, please consultthe DARPA website below.
The development of Stanley began in July 2004. Dubbed a mobile high-techlaboratory, Stanley is built with a high-performance computer centre
consisting of six interconnected Intel Pentium M 1.6 GHz processors andIntel motherboards located in the vehicle's luggage compartment. The system
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is managed by complex and unique software for steering, acceleration anddeceleration to control Stanley electronically via "drive-by-wire" systems thatreact to any special features of the Grand Challenge course route in real time.
In addition, Stanley's array of laser detectors, stereoscopic viewing devices,radar and Global Positioning Systems allowed it to find and follow theprescribed course route of the Grand Challenge, avoid obstacles as well asnegotiate turns while travelling at very high speeds.
While the vehicle is in motion, the environment is perceived through four laserrange finders, a radar system, a stereo camera pair, and a monocular visionsystem. All sensors acquire environment data at rates between 10 and 100Hertz. Map and pose information are incorporated at 10 Hz, enabling Stanleyto avoid collisions with obstacles in real-time while advancing along the 2005DARPA Grand Challenge and 2007 Urban Challenge routes.
The original robotic prototype vehicle, Stanley was on display at theSingapore Science Center from June to August 2007.
The DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) GrandChallenge 2005 held in the rigorous settings of the Mojave Desert wasdesigned to be a rigorous field test for Autonomous (Driverless) RoboticGround Vehicles. The aim of this robotic vehicle challenge and the DARPAUrban Challenge of November 2007 is to accelerate research anddevelopment into autonomous vehicles that can be deployed in battlefieldsituations, and may be in many other civilian applications in the future.
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4. LESSONS LEARNED & TEAM DYNAMICS
In the course of applying SSM on the Singapore Bus system, team dynamics
played an important role, as there was insufficient domain expertise. Teammembers freely expressed their ideas frankly and vocally. All disagreementswere resolved through cordial exchange and sharing of opinions mindfullymaintaining focus on the subject matter. Due to the nature of SSM, the scopeof view in the project is wide with no specific constraints. As a result,enthusiasm often led us off-track and the discussion had to be re-directed.
The process arriving at the root definitions from the CATWOE was based ongeneral consensus. The approach used was systematic but with a systemicview using self-organizing debate. The team adopted a voting system whendefining keywords in the forming of the root definition. It is noted that there will
be different root definitions when there is different interpretation from differentpoint of view. Hence through brainstorming using the mnemonic CATWOE,discussions within the team lead to more than one root definition. Bearing inmind that the objective was not to arrive quickly at one correct answer, theteam proceeded to develop multiple root definitions and conceptual models.This allowed for differing views of the system to be captured. The teamgenerally found that SSM stimulates thinking in a concise and thoroughmanner.
Finally, it is clear from the two conceptual models that there is a missing linkbetween current system and ideal conceptual system. Below are the excerptsof the team dynamics and experience in the application of SSM:
Q: How would you benefit from seeing alternative descriptions?
A: The group will have a wider perspectives and a multi-dimensionalanalysis of the problematic real world situation.
Q: What would you do with the outcome? What's the next step?
A: The next step will be to apply the stages of SSM and iterate between
the stages in order to adapt to the different situations at different stages.
Q: Consider the process that your group took from the raw input tothe final form. Can you present an account of the evolution of
concepts? Consider the process of selection, negotiation,evaluation, and ranking.
A: (i) SelectionThe group brainstormed the answers to the descriptive scenarioquestions. A rich picture is then derived to represent the problemsituation. The group then builds on the existing resources to attempt to
come out with a root definition by means of CATWOE analysis.
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Keywords were focused on, analyzed and then summarized to becomethe root definition.
(ii) Negotiation
There is cordial exchange and sharing of ideas. Vocal expression.
(iii) EvaluationAfter the development of the root definition, this ideal system is thenmodeled using the five Es, namely efficacy, efficiency, effectiveness,elegance and ethicality. This conceptual system is then compared withthe current system in the real situation through a series of questionspertaining to the activities occurring in the system. The group based ona benchmarking approach and look for dramatic changes between thesystems by focusing on the key deliverables and practicality of ideas.
(iv) RankingA scoring system was used.
Q: Can you describe the methodology that you used in generalterms? Can your methodology be recursively applied? Can it scale(in terms of level of detail)?
A: Soft System Methodology (SSM) was used in: Describing the current situation through perspective of major
stakeholders. Imagine an ideal solution. Defining the boundary of systems and draft out a diagrammatic
representation of the current problematic situation. Formulating an idealized view of the system Generating an ideal conceptual system Comparing the ideal system to current system
Q: What major difficulties were encountered? Gaps in frameworkobjects? In DS questions? Weakness in process steps? In outputsgenerated?
A: There is insufficient domain expertise. There seems to be a missing link between current system and ideal
conceptual system. CATWOE voting system was used to define keywords, which
eventually form the root definition. If keyword changes, statement willbe different. There will be different root definitions when there isdifferent interpretation from different point of views.
No incentive to compare between the process steps. Scope of project is too wide with no specific constraints.
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REFERENCES1. Green, Stuart.D. and Simister, Stephen ,J. (1999) Modeling client
business processes as an aid to strategic briefing , Construction
Management and Economics, 17:1, 630-76
2. http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~jim/bpt.ssm.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_systems_methodology
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_transport_in_Singapore
5. Speech By Mr. Raymond Lim, Minister For Transport And Second
Minister For Foreign Affairs, At The Launch Of The Land Transport
Gallery, 18 January 2008, 9.20 am
6. http://www.lta.gov.sg/corp_info/doc/190108.pdf
7. Systems Approach in the Land Transport, Presentation by Mr. Yam
Ah Mee, CEO of the Land Transport Authority (LTA), at the IES/DSTA
Systems Engineering Seminar, Orchard Hotel Singapore, 19 March
2008.
8. http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge
9. http://www.stanfordracing.org
10. http://cs.stanford.edu/group/roadrunner/
11. http://www.science.edu.sg