A system is an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something. If you look at that definition closely for a minute, you can see that a system must consist of three kinds of things: elements, interconnections, and a function or purpose.
— Donella H. Meadow, Thinking in Systems
"A football team is a system with elements such as players, coach, field, and ball. Its interconnections are the rules of the game, the coach’s strategy, the players’ communications, and the laws of physics that govern the motions of ball and players. The purpose of the team is to win games, or have fun, or get exercise, or make millions of dollars, or all of the above."
Viya's note
By this definition, applying system thinking means starting any design project with these three questions
- What are we trying to achieve here for the user and business?
- What are the core elements in the system/flow/feature?
- How are the elements connected? What are their inputs, output & relationships?