History of PISO
What was to become "PISO" began early in 1997 simply as a response to a class of disaffected part-time business students who couldn't see why they were having to learn computer systems structured analysis techniques, particularly dfd logicalisation. A quickly prepared assignment allowed the class members to apply the techniques to solving problems within their own workplaces, rather than think in terms of computer systems development.
The level of interest rose considerably - indeed, the most common feedback comments at the end of the whole module described how much the students had learned from this one aspect. Equally unexpected was a rapid positive response from employers, with a number of telephone calls and more than one request to visit a company to explain the techniques that their employees were being taught in class. One of the first was Nike, with an outcome that showed fundamental improvements in their approach to customer service.
By November 1997 this new use for dfd logicalisation (still unnamed as a method) was presented as an academic paper at the Manchester Metropolitan University Business Information Technology "Futures" Conference, entitled "The future of BPR?" Following extremely positive feedback that confirmed its academic soundness, in early 1998 colleague Helen Edwards gave the method its name and drew up its framework for the first time.
Since 1998 an increasing number of students from HND to Masters level have continued to report impressive results with their projects in organisations such as The Co-operative Bank, Ikeda Hoover, Dell, Hull Social Services, etc. - over 350 projects at the last count. PISO has become an integral part of the University of Sunderland's post graduate Health Information Management programme and a popular topic within the MSc's in Computer Based Information Systems and Information Technology Management.
Following the appearance of two PISO articles in Visual Systems Journal, in February 2001 a one day PISO event for "Systems Professionals" was held - attendees being mostly VSJ readers who had expressed an interest. Strong response to this showed by now that not only end-users and academics endorsed the method, but fellow systems professionals.
Via the newly introduced courses, 2001 saw British Telecom and South Tyneside General Hospital become active users - and the University of Sunderland began applying PISO to a major reorganisation of its systems and processes. In January 2002 the PISO Business Unit was born, to formally look after the commercial aspects of PISO development and delivery.
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