IJASM addresses agility, responsiveness, competitiveness and management of systems, defined as regularly interacting or interdependent groups of items or bodies forming a unified whole. IJASM highlights systems specified, designed, controlled, implemented, commissioned, operated, serviced or maintained with human and society requirements in mind. Examples include engineering assets, environment, building, transport, computers, supply chains, manufacturing, enterprises, and complex engineering products such as aircraft. IJASM acknowledges the need for better understanding of content/context/processes in systems and their interaction with the ever-changing environment.

Topics covered include

    Agile systems design/evaluation; agility theory, strategy, content, context, processes
    Agile organisation, methodology, framework, tools, techniques
    Systems engineering science, engineering of complex enduring systems
    Risks assessment, strategies and methodologies for risks mitigation
    Sustainable systems design, development, operation, maintenance and services
    Supply chain agility, responsiveness, planning, execution, modelling and optimisation
    Operations management and strategy, process improvement
    Benchmarking, metrics and performance drivers for agile organisations
    Clusters, industrial districts and competitiveness
    Enterprise resource planning, modelling, architecture design and methodologies
    Complexity and uncertainty in supply chains and agile diagnostic tools
    Knowledge management, managerial effectiveness and organisational agility
    Decision support systems, performance-based contracting, strategic development for system agility
    Service operations/organisation agility, versatility evaluation in socio-economic systems
    Agile information systems, agile manufacturing technologies, rapid product/service design

Objectives

The objective of IJASM is to establish an effective channel of communication between academia, industry and persons concerned with the design and development of systems. Change is eternal and perpetual, irrespective of type of system. Systems created in the course of the advance of human civilization need to be functionally and operationally sustainable amid changes in technological, political, socio-economical, financial, cultural and other environmental challenges. IJASM aims to promote and harmonize knowledge developments in the emerging fields of agile systems research, sustainability and vulnerability analysis, risk assessments methodologies, complex systems science, e-organisation and e-supply chain management, with emphasis on the international dimension, particularly breaking cultural barriers, and on national contexts, globalisation and new business practices.

As such, we aim to publish papers presenting new research, innovative theoretical approaches, changes in agile management paradigms, and action (both examples of successes and failures as long as there are important lessons to be learned) from leading scholars and practitioners. Papers generally fall into two broad categories:

    those grounded in theory and/or papers using scientific research methods (e.g., reports of original empirical studies, models, critical reviews of existing empirical research, theory pieces that clearly extend current thinking); and
    those focusing on innovative agile approaches that are based on well reasoned extensions of existing research, experiential knowledge, or exemplary cases (e.g., thought pieces, case studies, etc).

Readership

IJASM provides a vehicle to help practitioners, academics and business leaders working in systems design, organisational development, logistics and support, performance improvement, to disseminate and publicise their research work in enabling high level of agility in their systems, fostering debate and facilitating greater learning processes among them.

Contents

IJASM publishes original and substantial pieces of work of empirical, theoretical, computational, research and developmental nature. Review papers, technical reports, case studies, selected conference papers, and management reports that demonstrate significant contribution to knowledge are also considered. Special Issues devoted to important topics in agile systems and organisation, competitiveness, responsiveness and versatility will occasionally be published.