Problem Statement Language/Problem Statement Analyzer

Abstract The Problem Statement Language (PSL) and the Problem Statement Analyzer (PSA) were first described in 1971. PSL™ was introduced in that paper as the equivalent of a blueprinting language for an information systems “factory,” and PSA™ as the software to support its usage. This first version (1) was used mainly by the sponsors of the Information Systems Design and Optimization System (ISDOS) project at the University of Michigan. A more widely introduced version, 2. 1, was described inter. The goal this article is to describe PSL/PSA, to lend a perspective to the chances that have taken place in the PSL/PSA system over 15 years, to examine its acceptance by the information systems community, to portray a scenario of usage, and to comment on the trends in the industry that not only affect PSL/PSA but also similar productivity tools that are now becoming available in the industry. PSL/PSA is sometimes dismissed as showing its age, although the counter could be that it has matured with experience; it has improved its user interface and there is a great deal of auxiliary software available to use with it. PSL/PSA has obvious potential as a repository and we look forward to widened interest in its use.