Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
When it comes to building systems, there is no ready-made plan that
can guarantee success. A common approach is to form a team of a few
intelligent people and throw them at the problem. With such an approach,
results obviously vary. While it does not necessarily solve the problem of
varying results, utilizing systems science or the systems approach can be
considered a valuable addition to the toolset used by such teams. Designers
and architects stand on firmer ground when they recognize the underlying
basis for some of the solutions they recommend. While designers and
developers consider causal and temporal relationships between interacting
entities, the systems approach adds more variety and conditionality to the
process.
This topic does not advocate systems thinking as a general-purpose
solution that will improve your systems. We also understand that, similar
to Operations Research or Management Science, practitioners often ignore
formal systems thinking. Software development, as in the old guilds,
involves mostly on-the-job learning, which is a good thing. However, we
recognize that it is necessary to have some kind of conceptual framework
to understand and organize what one is learning, to categorize and catalog
one's mistakes and failures, and to recognize what carries over from each
project that one works on. It is a learning and thinking framework.
Application of Systems Thinking in Software
The systems approach teaches us to take a holistic view, to look at things
beyond the sandbox in which they appear to operate, and consider them
as part of the ecosystem around them. The relationship between the whole
and its parts is key to systems thinking.
The word “system” has its roots in the Greek
-
e
, which means
“brought together,” or “combined or organized whole, formed from many
parts.” Today we use “system” to describe a set of entities that act upon
each other, toward an objective, for which a logical model can be con-
structed encompassing the entities and their allowed actions.
Systems consist of many interacting parts, each with its own entities
and events, which are not treated as isolated entities. These entities interact
with each other to facilitate the flow of some element through and between
them, such as information or energy. Examples can be found in the solar
system, our own blood circulation system, in a government department,
or in a factory. Some systems are physical — can be seen and touched
— while others are virtual. A flood control system might consist of dams,
canals, overflow areas, levees, and evacuation plans, whereas the legal
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