The MITRE Corporation provided technical support to the Joint Center for Urban Studies in its Health Information System Project by developing a structured approach for the characterization and analysis of System Options. The approach was designed to stimulate relevant dialog and aid decision processes in the technically diverse, politically sensitive, and multiorganizational Project environment. It contains an iterative sequence of analytical steps, beginning with the clarification of system objectives, embodying consideration of operating and computer support characteristics and their synthesis, and ending with the selection and planning of a preferred System Option. The approach assisted in the clarification and evaluation of alternative options, and aided Project leadership in guiding debate and converging on policy decisions. Such analytical aids may be useful in attacking a variety of social and urban problems, but the degree of formal rigor and the timing must be carefully tailored to each particular situation. (Author/TT)