Introduction to Soft Systems Methodology

This course introduces the technique of causal mapping to structure a complex problem, and the method of cognitive mapping to interview stakeholders. Together, this enables analysts or facilitators to build a map and model of stakeholders’ beliefs, values and objectives to enable effective definition of a problem.

This practical course will help you to improve project performance, ensure outcomes are met and enable resources to be used efficiently, using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), the best-known problem structuring method.

Develop your understanding of Operational Research (OR), its processes and how they are used to address real world problems. Address the modelling issues you may encounter throughout your career. 

Develop your understanding of Operational Research (OR), its processes and how they are used to address real world problems. Address the modelling issues you may encounter throughout your career. 

Learn to better understand complex situations and effectively define problems by mapping and modelling stakeholder beliefs, values, and objectives. This practical course will introduce you to causal and cognitive mapping techniques.

Do you work in data analytics, BI/MI, data science, or machine learning? Do you want to make an immediate impact? This course is designed to equip delegates with a versatile skillset and deliver measurable results within your organisation.

Overview An introduction to Soft OR and the methods for working with strategic and complex problem situations and structuring qualitative data.

Develop a practical understanding of System Dynamics qualitative and quantitative methods. 

Develop a practical understanding of System Dynamics qualitative and quantitative methods. 

Demand for systems thinking approaches is growing as policy makers and managers face important systemic problems. This workshop provides an overview of these approaches and gives direction to practitioners wishing to make use of these approaches.

In this course you will learn how to build a culture of creativity across the team. One in which it is ‘safe’ to suggest ideas, where good ideas can be recognised. This will enable your team to creatively solve difficult problems.

This course will bring the analysis to life and give you a feel for the nature of this type of OR practice. You will gain and overview of soft and critical approaches to strategic OR practice in policymaking.

Gain an understanding of the wide spectrum of skills used in Operational Research, including: problem structuring; data collection; analytics; modelling; and simulation. Learn and understand a typical problem cycle

This course will give you robust processes when you need to have innovative ideas ‘on demand’. You will have the chance to practice applying these tools and techniques that should be as much part of the OR practitioner’s tool kit as simulation and optimisation.

Explore the operational research methods and models available for supporting strategy. You will be able to develop your skills in a full session in scenario planning. This course better equips you to apply OR principles for strategic planning activities.

Using case studies and Public Sector Scorecard (PSS), you will create an integrated strategy map, service improvement plan and performance measurement framework of your OR projects.

Group meetings and workshops have moved from face-to-face to online since the pandemic. It is unlikely that face-to-face meetings/workshops will resume, given the need for social distancing and for remote working. We offer a short course to support those needing to problem structure in virtual workshop environment.

Become a more effective problem-solver by understanding how systems work. This workshop will introduce the tools of systems thinking and explore how they can be used both individually and in teams.

This one day course will provide some approaches to help approach transformation in different ways, while taking into account both the hard and soft elements of transformation. It will incorporate the creation and evaluation of learning journeys and the pathways to transformation.

TBA

Gain the theoretical and practical understanding on how to process and model time series data in your analytical and forecasting workflows using R programming language. This course will provide you with essential knowledge to allow wrangling, processing, analysis and forecasting of time series data in the R programming language.