Reply to Eden and Ackermann: Any future for problem structuring methods?

These comments are written in the light of Eden and Ackermann’s Where Next for Problem Structuring Methods (in this issue). They are intended to be both complementary to their paper and complimentary towards their judgements, with which I largely agree. My intention is to consider the future of problem structuring methods (PSMs) in the light of their past. My ambiguous title can be read in two ways; and I shall try to answer both versions of the question it poses. The first reading of the question is: Is there any future for PSMs? Will they perhaps fade away like a management fad? The alternative reading is: Will any future do for PSMs? Is there a desirable direction for future work with them? Both interpretations are worth taking seriously and both will be dealt with here. (Since Eden and Ackermann’s references constitute a useful bibliography of this area, I shall mainly include only references that extend their list.)