Key Systems Concepts

Examples of systems:
• Natural systems: river system, solar
system, respiratory system, nervous
system
• Artificial/ man-made systems: an
organisation, legal system, education
system, information system
 Differing System Perspectives
• Narrow technical view:
‘System’ as a set of interconnected technical
components (e.g. computer, workstation and file).
• Broader view including also people and processes:
‘System’ as including ‘collections of people using
information technology and processes that define how
people carry out their work.’ (Hawryszkiewycz 2001,
p.10).
 Background on Systems
Thinking
• Peter Checkland (1981, 1999) traced the development of
systems thinking:
• In the decades after WWII, systems theories became popular &
were applied to many fields.
• Abortive quest for a mathematically expressed ‘General Theory of
Systems’ that would promote the unity of all science.
• Management, organisational theory and computer science
assimilated systems thinking.
 Analogy of a living organism--organisations etc
presented as holistic systems, where a change in one
part of the system impacts on the entire system.
 Background on Systems
Thinking
Checkland (Cont’d):
• Early systems thinking (eg management science, systems
engineering):
• Highly technical and mathematically focused.
• World comprised of a complex set of interacting systems that are
working sub-optimally, and could be engineered to work better.
• Checkland & his Uni of Lancaster (UK) colleagues:
• From 1970s in working with clients from industry found that the hard
systems thinking of systems engineering did not fit well with their clients’
complex, ‘messy’ real - world problems (ie the vast majority of their
problems).
 Background on Systems
Thinking
• Checkland et al. developed their own Soft Systems
approach
A divergence of two strands of systems thinking: hard
systems and soft systems .
• Hard systems methods are clearly defined and relatively
straightforward, ie rational, structured problem solving and
decision taking approaches, much is mathematically -based
• Soft systems methods tackle complex, ‘messy ’ realities of
human systems in organisations, where classic systems
engineering models fail.
• From 1980s, information systems has increasingly
incorporated insights from soft systems thinking.
Key Elements of a System
 Key Elements of a System
• In systems theory, a system is distinguished by the
following elements:
• Purpose: A system must have a clearly defined
purpose or goal or function that defines what the
system is supposed to do.
• Interrelated and interdependent components or sub-
systems within a system boundary, outside of which is
an external environment that is constantly changing and
impacting on the system.
 Key Elements of a System
• System boundary: The boundary of a system, the line
that divides the systems from its environment. Inside the
boundary are system components/sub-systems. Outside
the boundary is the system environment.
• System environment: Any element that lies outside the
system boundary and interacts in some way with the
system. Environments are generally in a state of flux or
constant change, which in turn impacts on the system.
 Key Elements of a System
• Interfaces: Points of contact where a
system meets its environment or where
sub-systems meet each other.
• Component/ subsystem: An irreducible
part or aggregation of parts that make up a
system. Subsystems can be regarded as
systems in their own right.
• Interrelated components: Dependence
of one sub-system on other sub-
system(s).
 Key Elements of a System
• Other system elements:
• Input: Whatever a system takes from the
environment in order to fulfil its purpose.
• Output: Whatever a system returns to its environment
in order to fulfil its purpose.
• Processing: Converting or transforming input into
output.
• Monitoring: to ensure the system is meeting its goal.
 Key Elements of a System
• Other system elements:
• Feedback: Output used to make
changes to input or processing activities.
• Constraints: A defined limit to what a
system can accomplish (or unchangeable
conditions with which the system must
cope).