Developing a Design Science for the Use of Problem Structuring Methods

The considerable literature concerning problem structuring methods (PSMs) lacks, unfortunately, an understanding about how users gain relevant expertise. One element contributing to the acquisition of expertise is the availability of knowledge about standard practices. Making such knowledge about the use of PSMs accessible will therefore improve the support available to those seeking to gain or improve their expertise. It is argued here that viewing the use of PSMs as a Design Science provides a framework within which this knowledge may be formalised, evaluated, and presented. Knowledge within the Design Sciences is embodied in technological rules validated by field-testing in case studies and grounding against a suitable theoretical framework. Many examples of such rules centred on the models and representations used in PSMs are found in the existing literature. This is least helpful in showing how the methods are embedded in the broader context of intervention processes. Producing further, complementary rules focussed on this area of practice will both increase understanding of how PSMs are used and facilitate the acquisition of relevant expertise. This article identifies what these rules could consist of and suggests how they may be produced.