The pace of development in knowledge and know-how in the fields of organisational sciences, logistics and information technology is rapid. However, the gap between the researcher in these areas and the practicing manager is growing. The Delft Systems Approach sets out to close the gap between theory and practice, and to achieve the following goals:

"The gap between those who study organizational sciences and the practicing manager is growing. "The Delft Systems Approach" sets out to close the gap between theory and practice, and to: improve the conception of a design in order to obtain a better match between expected and real operation of an industrial system; integrate structural and behavioral conceptions of a system to be designed; support the communication between different specialists involved in the same processes and projects; guide managers in applying this knowledge to the problems with which they are confronted in practice; and describe the aspects of Systems Theory which can enable managers to improve their performance and reduce their workload. The book describes a fundamental approach for analyzing industrial systems that can be used by all disciplines involved, and makes a logical systematic combination of quantitative and qualitative modeling. Also included are three comprehensive cases from the authors' own practical experiences. TOC:Introduction.- Systems concepts.- Case: the flight department.- Models for the structuring of processes.- Conceptual model for the analysis of industrial systems.- Behaviour of a function: the process.- The case of the ship engine factory.- Policy and performance.- Model for the innovation process.- The design process with the conceptual models.- Case: the automated container terminal."

Systems Concepts.- Case: The Flight Department.- Models for the Structuring of Processes.- Conceptual Model for the Analysis of Industrial Systems.- Behaviour of a Function: The Process.- The Case of the Ship Engine Factory.- Policy and Performance.- Model for the Innovation Process.- The Design Process with the Conceptual Models.- Case: The Automated Container Terminal.