See relationships rather than isolated parts
System thinking explains why a change in one component can affect the behaviour of the whole system.
System-thinking questions
| Element | Question |
|---|---|
| Purpose | What outcome should the system achieve? |
| Components | What parts are needed? |
| Relationships | How do the parts exchange information or resources? |
| Boundary | What is inside the system and what belongs to the environment? |
| Feedback | How does the system report success, failure or change? |
| Constraint | What limits performance, access or reliability? |
Example
A course-registration service includes student devices, browsers, networks, servers, storage, authentication and academic rules. The website alone is not the complete system.