All the key resources for this section are books or chapters from books, as follows:

Robertson, S & Robertson, J., (1999) Mastering the Requirements Process. Addison-Wesley. P5, 104, 112.

This resource provides a good introduction to the analysis of functional and non-functional requirements of a proposed system.

Checkland, P & Scholes, J., (1991) Soft Systems Methodology in Action. Wiley. P36

Here Checkland illustrates the value of "root definitions" in describing the viewpoints, and hence the requirements, of the system stakeholders. He gives useful examples of their use in the development of human activity systems.

Espejo, R. (1989) A Cybernetic Method to Study Organisations. In The Viable System Model. Ed: Espejo & Harnden. Wiley. P361.

The hard reality of organisational inertia is addressed in this text and guidelines are offered to understand and relax structural limitations on institutional developments.

Maguire, M. C., (1998) User-Centred Requirements Handbook. Deliverable 5.3, Requirements Engineering and Specification in Telematics. Part B, Phase 2, Prototype and User Test.

A comprehensive set of prototype development and testing guidelines and procedures is provided by this resource.

Beer, S. (1989) The Viable System Model: its provenance, development, methodology and pathology. In The Viable System Model. Ed: Espejo & Harnden. Wiley. P11.

This is a pathway into the principles of the VSM for systems analysis specialists. It references a number of Beer's celebrated publications including The Heart of Enterprise and Brain of the Firm.