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The purpose of this paper is to illustrate, through an example taken from a recent research project, how rich pictures could be used to more effectively evaluate the delivery of projects. It has as its focus a detailed account of the process of identifying, interviewing and co-developing rich pictures with research respondents.

The paper reports on research that undertook a soft systems methodology (SSM) combined with an action learning approach.

The authors provided, one of eight rich pictures developed as part of a PhD study that used rich pictures as part of wider SSM study into understanding project management best practice. Key findings pertaining to this paper are summarised as follows: rich pictures provide a sound and holistic means to capture context, meaning and impact of situations that are often very difficult to document; use of the more use of artistic and cultural flow of colour, diagrams and symbols in the rich pictures presented a significantly improved resolution of such intangible aspects on a physical artefact such as a picture simply because colour, flow, models and symbols can act as suitable proxy to understanding and resolution; and researcher needs to have an open mind and be rigorous in questioning and interacting with interviewees.

This was based on one study only and serves to illustrate the value of an approach rather than a template to be generally used.

This provides practical “how to” guidance on developing rich pictures within a SSM research approach.

The paper illustrates how to portray participants in a particularly sensitive case resulting from a natural disaster. This approach may help people to better express their experiences and to give them a clearer voice in telling their story.

The major new contribution that the paper stress this paper makes is one of not only demonstrating that rich picture development is a powerful sensemaking tool but the paper also illustrates how it can be implemented and the authors demonstrated how it allows stakeholders to have a strong and influential voice in project conception and delivery. In reflecting on the use of this tool the paper suggests that it can be effectively applied or adapted for use in a range of disaster recovery situations and even wider in the resolution of purposeful programme development for all range of challenging projects.

Brings together some of the empirical findings from a series of action research projects undertaken in a number of engineering companies. Systems concepts were employed with engineers to assist organisational change. The key driver for each programme of change was the implementation of a new company‐wide strategy for increasing competitive edge in the open market. In each instance, senior management recognised that, while their engineers possessed the “hard”, technical skills to fulfil such a strategy, they did not all possess the “soft”, people‐related skills to cope with the cultural aspects of the change. Systems concepts, such as rich pictures and metaphors, were used to generate new perspectives that would stimulate a more holistic approach to organisational change management.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain the use (at the situational analysis project phase) of an innovation to a sensemaking and problem‐solving tool for aid relief and disaster recovery projects, that improves programmes to project management practice.

There are tools that can assist in understanding a project situational context as a pre‐cursor to planning and implementing project plans. One tool, soft system methodology (SSM), is used to visualise messy complex problems to understand this context and effectively plan. The authors used SSM and evolved some improvements reported upon here.

The rich picture approach in SSM was adapted to add layers of meaning through colour coding and process mapping. This is explained in detail, using examples from a recent study to illustrate this approach that has been subsequently rigorously validated in practice.

The use of SSM can considerably assist in gaining a deeper understanding of how the project can be planned and monitored in future. The paper is limited to aid relief project examples.

Macro‐level project planning sets the stage for the effective delivery of a realistic program‐to‐project plan. Projects are often characterised by chaos, paradoxes and highly complex choices of action. The SSM tool enhancement and further developments can help practitioners improve their understanding of complex situations when preparing response and project plans.

While SSM is not new, the way it was adapted for recent research into aid disaster recovery demonstrates a highly innovative development to visualising complex situations and offers some powerful improvements to SSM. The paper advances project management research through its SSM innovation and also illustrates an important adaptation to a standard SSM technique.

Soft systems methodology (SSM) is well documented in the academic and management literature. Over the last 40 years, the methodology has come to be adapted depending on the tool users’ skills and experience in order to fit the problem. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate good teaching and learning practice from a pedagogical perspective.

Dr Ian Yeoman of Victoria University of Wellington provides a personal reflection of how the methodology is used in the teaching and learning of TOUR301 Tourism Policy and Planning as a policy and scenario analysis method.

The paper articulates the seven stages of SSM from problem situation unstructured, through to Rich Pictures, vision and guiding principles, policy solutions, comparisons, feasibility and implementation stages. The paper uses a series of teaching tasks to breakdown the complexity of the methodology thus guiding students and teachers in how to deploy the methodology in the classroom.

The value of the paper demonstrates the reflective practice of SSM in action as an exemplar of good practice. The paper clearly articulates the stages of the methodology so students and teachers can adopt this approach in classroom environments following a scaffolding learning approach. The use of teaching tasks throughout the paper helps bring clarity and order thus enabling the teacher to effectively teach the subject and the students to learn. The most significant contribution of this paper is the articulation of good teaching practice in policy and scenario analysis which articulated through four learning lessons: facilitating a learning environment; the impact of visual thinking; political theory; the importance of incremental learning; and problem-based learning and international students.

Examines the use of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) in the analysis and improvement of a “messy” HRM problem in Nationwide Building Society (NBS). Describes SSM in outline and relates it to a case study application of the methodology in the area of career management and career counselling. At the time of investigation, there was a growing awareness of career problems among managers of all levels in NBS increasing the impetus for change. The problems identified in career management did not lead to clearly defined objectives: the “right answer” was not yet known and variables involved were bound up in values, motives and decisions of human beings with a significant amount of free choice. Develops and analyses a Rich Picture taking account of subjective data as well as objective facts. The understanding gained about the management of careers is used to generate possible improvements and solutions following the stages of SSM. Makes recommendations, a number of which have already been implemented within NBS.

Examines soft systems methodologies(SSM) and the role they play in the building of a rich picture or rich understanding of problematic situations. Organizational theory is explored in relation to SSM and used to augment this rich picture building exercise, and the field of critical systems thinking is reviewed from the standpoint of enhancing the entire rich picture building process with reference to problems within human organizations. Finally, recommendations are made for managerial practice and development in relation to the effective conduct of rich picture building exercises.

The purpose of this Thesis Research Note (TRN) paper is to provide a summary of key aspects of a recently completed and passed PhD thesis. It enables readers who may be interested in the thesis topic to gain an overview of that work and a link to the entire thesis through a URL link http://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/eserv/rmit:160896/Taylor.pdf. The second main purpose of this TRN is to explain the thesis author’s doctoral journey.

The research approach discussed in relation to the reported upon PhD was soft systems methodology and sensemaking. The approach for the paper is to provide a reflective narrative to explain the lived experience of the authors throughout the candidate’s doctoral journey.

Findings from the PhD are summarised. The contribution to theory about practice, for practice and theory in practice is identified and the use of coding interview transcripts as an additional tool to be used in developing rich pictures is also discussed.

The research reported upon is limited to a specific context and while conclusions cannot be generalised they can be used to better frame further context-specific studies.

The TRN provides a highly individualised account of a doctoral journey but it is intended to contribute to the growing body of TRNs published in this journal that in turn may inform decisions relating to candidates embarking on a doctoral journey.

Much educational practice taught at teaching colleges regarding the process of teaching and learning is derived from a theoretical base. Less is based on lessons learned from the observation of the actual process of teaching and learning. Undergraduate teachers and mature practitioners are left with unstructured and unsystematic personal reflections of the process of teaching and learning for meeting any deficiencies they may have perceived. Soft systems methodology is an approach that can fill this lacuna. It provides a structured and systematic as well as systemic, approach for analysing actual practices in organized human activities, or human activity systems, such as the institution of education. The methodology is of particular benefit for analysing the process of teaching and learning because it does not require starting the process as an identified and precisely defined problem requiring a commensurate solution, yet it is still capable of generating recommendations for improving the process. The methodology is applied to this process to discover whether it can reveal hitherto unrecognized teaching and learning activities which can be used to improve the process in question.

This paper seeks to address complexity in project management via an innovative course that focuses on systems thinking.

Intuitions about systems thinking evident in everyday language are developed and applied to phases of the system development life cycle.

Complexity in project management may be tamed by systems thinking. Surprisingly, project managers do not seem to use simple systems thinking tools even though these provide unique benefits in framing and solving problems that arise from multiple perspectives and relationships.

The findings are broadly conceptual. They introduce only some elements of a tertiary curriculum developed by the authors and certified by a major project management practitioner group.

The findings are of value to educators, practitioners and researchers who seek a practical approach to integrating complexity theory into modern project management practices.

An individual's educational choices – and institutional policies – are now caught up in a complex dance of cause and effect that is difficult to understand. This research article investigates one educational response, which is to provide practical guidance for coordinated goal‐directed activities (including policies, procedures and projects) in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world.

The approach of addressing complexity via a project management course certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI) is innovative, perhaps unique.