ISM analyzes a system of elements and resolves
these in a graphical representation of their directed
relationships and hierarchical levels. The elements
may be objectives of a policy, goals of an
organization, factors of assessment, etc. The directed
relationships can be in a variety of contexts (referred
to as contextual relationships), such as Element (i) "is
greater than"; "is achieved by"; "will help achieve";
"is more important than"; Element (j). The following
is a brief description of the different steps of ISM: