Soft Systems Methodology - CATWOE

The Lancaster team proposed several criteria that should be specified to ensure that a given root definition is rigorous and comprehensive. These criteria are summarized in the mnemonic CATWOE:

Clients – Who are the beneficiaries or victims of this particular system? (Who would benefit or suffer from its operations?)

Actors – Who are responsible for implementing this system? (Who would carry out the activities which make this system work?)

Transformation – What transformation does this system bring about? (What are the inputs and what transformation do they go through to become the outputs?)

Weltanschauung (or Worldview) – What particular worldview justifies the existence of this system? (What point of view makes this system meaningful?)

Owner – Who has the authority to abolish this system or change its measures of performance?

Environmental constraints – Which external constraints does this system take as a given?

This form of analysis clarifies what the user of the methodology is trying to achieve. By explicitly acknowledging these perspectives, the user of the methodology is forced to consider the impact of any proposed changes on the people involved.