Hard systems is a problem-solving approach in systems science.
It can be contrasted with soft systems, for which systems thinking must handle many ill-defined, or not easily quantified elements.
Hard systems approaches such as systems analysis (structured methods), operations research and so on, assume that the problems associated with such systems are well-defined and likely to have a single, optimum solution, so a problem-solving approach will work well as technical factors tend to predominate.
[1][2] Hard systems began to emerge as a distinct philosophy in the 1950s.
This systems-related article is a stub.