This leaflet is intended to provide an introduction to Systems How Systems Thinking Thinking and how it relates to Systems Engineering. It is grounded in a review of definitions from divers sources and contributes to Systems related to engineering through the strong systems heritage Engineering. at the University of Bristol and recently validated at Z7 INCOSE AA 09 Issue 1.1 July 2020 Systems Thinking is an essential skill for systems engineers which is shared with many disciplines and provides a key Further information about Systems Thinking can be intellectual underpinning for Systems Engineering. obtained from the following: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/engineering/systemscentre What is Systems Thinking? http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id= Systems Thinking 183660 How does it relate to Systems Disciplines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifth_Discipline eg Engineering Engineering? Systems Thinking is a way of thinking used to address Specialists Acknowledgements complex and uncertain real world problems. It eg Materials / Testing recognises that the world is a set of highly This Z guide originated from the Systems 2030 Seminar held in Bristol in April 2008.It has been prepared by interconnected technical and social entities which are Members of the Systems Centre at University of Bristol hierarchically organised producing emergent http://www.bristol.ac.uk/engineering/systemscentre behaviour. Benefits of Systems Thinking and drafted by Patrick Godfrey. Systems Thinking provides a rigorous way of integrating: The content of this Z Guide was tested at the 2009Autumn It is founded on three key ideas: people, purpose, process and performance and Assembly of the UK Chapter of INCOSE in an interactive ■ relating systems to their environment. Layers session led by John Davis and Theo Tryfonas. It has been ■ understanding complex problem situations peer reviewed by INCOSE UK. Loops ■ maximising the outcomes achieved. ‘New process*’ ■ avoiding or minimising the impact of unintended In addition invaluable input has been provided by David consequences. Blockley, John Davis, Theo Tryfonas, Mike Yearworth, *See panel 4 ■ aligning teams, disciplines, specialisms and interest Hillary Sillitto, and Dave Hawken. groups. Open University Definition ■ managing uncertainty, risk and opportunity. For further information, advice and links to helpful websites Systems Thinking enables you to grasp and manage go to: www.incoseuk.org situations of complexity and uncertainty in which Background – Systems Thinking: Download copies of this leaflet and other Systems there are no simple answers. It’s a way of learning Engineering resources online at : www.incoseuk.org your way to effective action by looking at connected ■ is complementary to other ways of thinking e.g. For more information about the worldwide Systems wholes rather than separate parts. It is sometimes scientific reductionism which focuses on a component Engineering professional community, go to called practical holism. Itself, rather than its relationship with others. www.incose.org ■ applies to any discipline or practice e.g. -Open University > Social Science, Management, Engineering, Biology Lead author: Patrick Godfrey Business Management Definition and Pure Science. Systems Thinking is a framework for seeing ■ origins are distant > 2500yrs. interrelationships rather than things, for seeing ■ recent cross disciplinary groupings include: patterns rather then static snapshots. It is a set of > Learning Systems, General Systems Theory, INCOSE UK Ltd @incoseuk Cybernetics, System Dynamics, Soft Systems general principles spanning fields as diverse as Methodology, Critical Systems Thinking, Complexity Z7 Issue 1.1 July 2020 physical and social sciences, engineering and Theory and Systems Engineering. management. © 2020 INCOSE UK Ltd. -Peter Senge , The Fifth Discipline

2 6 1 A Framework for ‘New process’ Systems Thinkers Systems Thinking recognise that - The phrase ‘new process’ is used to identify a holistic view of process, which describes natural, people and Context People: Belief systems physical processes in a consistent way. This helps to Integrating models Perceptions integrate all types of system. It also helps to align ■ through their perceptions, determine purpose, use Viewpoints stakeholders to purpose and reduce a substantial process to deliver performance and use change in Boundary (open or closed) source of complexity. patterns to measure progress; Holon / Hierarchy ■ understand the need to be good team players; Emergence ■ are our customers, stakeholders, designers, Parts, wholes andl ayers Synergy Processes define ‘How change happens’. Relationships This definition includes naturally occurring change as developers and users; Connections and loops Communications ■ have varying levelsof rationality, intentionality Feedback / Foresight well as man made. and even perversity; Processes Learning loops / Life cycles Purpose ■ have belief systems, perceptions and How change happens Answers to the questions ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘why’, Requirements Viewpoints developed through culture, training Progress / Evidence ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ enable us to describe a Opportunity and risk process in terms that are applicable to both people and views of best practice within disciplines; and physical processes. ‘Why’ identifies the purpose ■ are not separate from the problem, project or programme with which they are engaged. They Parts and Wholes in Layers and hence drives the change in ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘when’ through the transformations identified by are an integral part of System Thinking models. ■ A holon, is anything considered,at the same time to be ‘how’. both a part and a whole. Performance measurement: ■ Components are seen as being organised in hierarchies The output of a process may be a product but that in of holons, which have emergent properties that derive ■ evidence should be used and suitably monitored itself has a life cycle and is also a process. from the co-operation of the parts. An example of a soft to ensure that the purpose of the system is system is you. You are a part of: your family, your being fulfilled; neighbourhood, your country etc and yet you are also Integrating models ■ will need to be a combination of quantitative and a whole made up of parts or sub-systems i.e. skeleton, Systems Thinkers use models to make sense of qualitative measures that communicate a nervous system etc... complex problems. historical and forward view of performance ■ Inside and outside are defined by boundaries. ■ is often done inappropriately becausepeople Connections and loops choose to measure what is easy to measure, A Systems Thinker’s Goal is rather than what needs to be measured to ensure ■ The behaviour of a system cannot be determined by to fulfil Purpose that purpose is delivered. consideration of the parts in isolation. ■ Purposeis the result, outcome or effect that is ■ The relationships between the holons and their ability Uncertainty: to communicate determines the emergent behaviours intended from the system. Purpose is the answer to and the possibility of unintended consequences. the question: Why are we doing this process?It is the ■ is an inevitable attribute of a complex system. ■ It is generally useful to think in terms of feedbackand driver of intended change and defines unintended ■ is managed by first recognising what we do not consequences. feed-forward loops to create learning and foresight and know and expecting unintended consequences ■ A requirement is an unambiguous statement of the so to manage the processesinvolved. particularly when new systems are being ■ Systems Dynamics is one way of simulating processes. capability that the system must deliver. A requirement is expressed in operational terms (what the system introduced or systems are used in a different Context will do) rather than solutions (how the system will do context. it). ■ requires the inclusion of feedbackand ■ The context for a system is its environment sometimes ■ Effectiver equirements can only be produced feed-forward learning loops in the process to referred to as its meta-system or meta-holon. once purpose is clear. minimise its impact. ■ An open system is one which continually interacts with its environment, whereas a closed system is assumed to be self contained. 3 4 5