Do we in IT really know what a system is? If we answer with Servers, Applications, Hardware, we need to review our understanding, since this is far from the reality.

1. Analysis 101: What is a System?
& why we in IT have it wrong :(

2. In Short…
“A Computer!”

3. In Short…
“A Computer!”

4. In Short…
“A system is a set of interacting or
interdependent components forming
an integrated whole”
– Miriam Webster Dictionary

5. In Short…
“A system is a set of interacting or
interdependent components forming
an integrated whole”
– Miriam Webster Dictionary

6. In Short…
“A system is a set of interacting or
interdependent components forming
an integrated structure and
exhibiting integrated behaviour”
– Miriam Webster Dictionary

7. Recap and Examples
It is NOT…
• Desktop Machine Hardware
• Server Hardware
• Objects in an Application
• Routers
• Cloud
• Virtual Machines
It IS…
• Applications Components AND
their Workflows
• Desktops, Operating Systems
AND How they’re used
• Servers AND How they Process
Requests
• Business Entities AND How
they server their customers
• The Earth AND How it’s
ecosystem Behaves
• Any Aggregation of the Above

8. What does a system look like?
SYSTEMS ARE EASY TO FIND!

9. Find Structures…
Structure – The ‘Statics’
• WHAT’s the structure of the
system?
• Entities, Departments,
Roles, Servers, Computers,
Applications.
• Can themselves be ‘self-contained’
subsystems
– Treated as Black Box
– Still Affects the Whole This is a Structure

10. Watch Interactions…
Behaviour – The ‘Dynamics’
• HOW does the system
behave?
• How do people,
applications, systems,
networks etc. interact
• Watch interactions
– Activities, Events,
Responses…
Bird Poops on
Statue
Mason Curses Bird
Mason Admires His Work

11. The System is ALL OF IT!!
Mason Admires His
Work
Bird Poops
on Statue
Dynami
c
Stati
c
Stati
c
Dynami
c
Stati
c
Stati
c
Dynami
c
Mason Curses Bird

12. …And EACH OF IT!!
• Each Item is a
Subsystem
• Even the Statue…
– How does it respond in
the Wind?
System
System System
Images from Dreamtime.com

13. Hence…
Systems Are EVERYWHERE!

14. Real Systems Are Somewhat Fractal!
• Systems are made up of
[Sub]Systems
– the Internet
– Businesses
• Business
• Applications
• Data
• Technology
• Each Has
– Structure (What it is)
– Behaviour (How it
Behaves) Hex Fractal Carpet – Eric Baird, 2009

15. What About Enterprises?
• Interacting Departments
– Teams of staff Performing A
Function
– Uses Business function
software
– …Running on Network
Infrastructure…
– With Servers…
– …Desktops…
– …Laptops…
– …Mobile Phones/Tablets
– …Consuming and Producing
Information
– …To Address Stakeholder
Need
Another way to find
statics and
dynamics:
Nouns (italic) = Structures =
Statics
Verbs (bold) = Behaviour =
Dynamics

16. It’s EVERYTHING!
More than Your ROLE!

17. ALL Mathematical!
• Analytical forms of Systems Thinking
• Systems Thinking Founded 1940
– Not New, but new to Masses & especially to enterprise IT
• Systems Science added Analytical Frameworks
• Complex Systems and Complexity Science Hot Topics!
• Brings in Capabilities from Operations Research, Stochastics, Risk,
Trigonometry, Calculus, Statistics, Graph Theory, Category Theory, Classical
Mechanics, Non-linear Systems and Chaos…
Definition:
“Systems thinking has been defined as an approach to problem solving, by viewing
‘problems’ as parts of an overall system, rather than reacting to specific part,
outcomes or events and potentially contributing to further development of unintended
consequences.”
Wikipedia

18. Thanks for Viewing
Further Reading
Systems Science
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_science
Systems Thinking
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_thinking
The Goal – E. M. Goldratt
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement-ebook/
dp/B002LHRM2O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415269445&sr=1-
1&keywords=the+goal
Theory of Constraints
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_constraints
Complexity Science
http://www.complexity.ecs.soton.ac.uk/
Ethar Alali @EtharUK @Dynacognetics
Managing Director & Chief Architect
Polymath-MathMo. Programming since 9 years old. TOGAF 9 Certified, Classic and Agile-
EA, change agent.
Blog: GoadingtheITGeek.blogspot.co.uk
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