Brian Wilson (systems)

Brian Wilson (born 1933, in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire) is a British systems scientist and honorary professor at Cardiff University, known for his development of soft systems methodology (SSM) [Steve Clarke (2000), "Human Centered Methods in Information Systems: Current Research and Practice", p.5.] and enterprise modelling. [Robert Macredie (1998), "Modelling for Added Value", p.168.]

Biography

After graduating from University of Nottingham with a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering, nuclear power engineering and control system design. He joined the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and was concerned with the control and spatial stability of gas-cooled reactors and power plant. In 1966, he left the world of nuclear power engineering and control system design, to become a founder member of the Department of Systems Engineering at the University of Lancaster.

He has had an association with Cardiff University for a number of years, in a variety of roles, and has recently been conferred as an honorary professor in the Department of Computer Science.

He left the University of Lancaster in 1992 to found his own consultancy company, Brian Wilson & Associates, where he continued to develop and apply his particular brand of SSM, leading to the uses of SSM in enterprise model building.

Work

During his time at the University of Lancaster, Wilson was involved in the development of a particular form of business analysis known as soft systems methodology (SSM). This development was driven by the action research programme carried out in that department, in which his particular interest was the application of SSM to information and organisation-based analysis. The work appeared in the book, "Systems: Concepts, methodologies and Applications", (editions 1 & 2), published by John Wiley. [http://www.koiosgroup.com/koios_brian_wilson.html Brian Wilson] at koiosgroup.com., retrieved October 2007]

He has 40 years' experience of tackling organisation-based problems of various kinds and he has undertaken projects in the pharmaceutical industry, the Met Office, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Police, the National Health Service and a variety of other organisations in both private and public sectors.

Recent work has been concerned with the development of SSM-based models to bring about the integration of children’s services within Tameside; to contribute to the MOD’s “Carrier Strike” programme and to explore the organisation of the detection and containment of illegal importation and use of nuclear and radiological materials as part of the anti-terrorist programme, “Cyclamen”. Also a contribution was made to the development of an “enterprise” architecture for information assurance in the public sector and to the development of new information support across a number of publishing companies within Hachette Livre.

Publications

Books:
* 1980, "Systems: Concepts, methodologies and Applications", John Wiley.
* 2001, "Soft Systems Methodology—Conceptual model building and its contribution", J.H.Wiley.

Papers:
* 2006, [http://www.koiosgroup.com/assets/docs/Deriving%20Information%20Requirements.pdf. "Deriving Information Requirements"]

References

External links

* [http://www.koiosgroup.com/koios_brian_wilson.html Brian Wilson] at koiosgroup.com.