Systems Thinking Education

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First Semester "Modeling and Composure"

1. Modeling and focusing

Second Semester "Systems Thinking and Methodology"

2.1. Systems Thinking 2.2. Methodology

The course "Systems Thinking" teaches: ontology
System thinking as a strong/universal/common
Emergence and division of labor
Features of presenting educational material
Error
Different thinking
Questions. Types of intelligence and thinking.
Criteria of strong thinking
Does system thinking replace applied thinking?
The position of systems thinking among other forms of thinking: the intellect stack
Questions. Systems analysis, the need for applied thinking.
Composition of thinking methods of the intellect stack
Intellect-Stack and Systems Thinking
Modeling: Concepts.
Conceptual Minimum of a Modern Person: Learn Once, Use in All Projects.
Modeling of thinking mastery
Tasks: thinking and intelligence stack.

System Approach Options
Modeling: Missing System Levels
Systems engineering: engineering based on a system approach
Questions. System success.
Systemness is not systematicness
Relying on standards and public documents of system engineering and management in our version of a systemic approach
Key Concepts of the Systems Approach
Terminology
Words-terms are important and not important
Definitions: coffin for a deceased thought
Tasks: we do without definitions and do not argue about terms.
How terms were selected for our course
Questions. Terminology.

Formality of Systems Thinking
System creativity
Error
Task: Evolution.
Subject specializations of systems thinking
Error
Can thinking be taught?
Concept
Tasks. Counterintuitiveness and metanoia.
States of a student in the course of learning thinking
Features of responses to course practice questions
Transition to the use of thinking
Task: invisibility of systems thinking to others.
Temptation of complexity
Modeling: choosing a project for the course.
Applicability of Systems Thinking: Everywhere and Always
Tasks: system creativity

Realization, description, and documentation of the system
Modeling: embodiments, descriptions, documentation with descriptions
Descriptions
Modeling: assigning a type to a system based on its descriptions
How to reach an agreement: not to generalize, but to specify.
Modeling: grounding abstract texts
Composition, part of
Questions. System realization and description
Holes
System behavior: work/activities
Behavior - is not a system.
Questions. Processes as physical objects
Computer programs as systems
System-of-interest in software development projects
Mastery as a System
Questions on the physicality of composition relationships
Assignments: systems in the physical world

The car types
Role objects/roles and "role-playing" / function / purpose in the environment
From the system-of-interest through the methodology to the role of the creator, but not vice versa
Ontology of invention: constructs as affordances for roles
Modeling: functional/role object and its function, material/constructive object as an affordance
Physical thinking in system thinking
Functional and Constructive Considerations of the Same System
Issues. Constructive and functional objects
Manufacturing systems as constructs in their potential roles
Mantra of Systems Thinking
Assignment on following the "mantra of systems thinking"
Second and third generation of the systemic approach
Methodology: agents, roles, objects of interest, interests
Methodological modeling
Modeling: type annotation using the notation ::
Questions. Conflict of interests
Roles of analysts and engineers. Positions
Modeling: analytics and engineering
External and internal project roles
Modeling: external project roles and the success of the system and its project
Cultural conditioning of project roles
Game metaphor
Thinking about agents (humans and AI): first of all, they are performers of roles
Questions. Project roles

Concerns and interests
Do not mix up a crucial feature and a preference.
List of description methods from CPS PWG Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) Framework
Speak not with people, speak with roles
Modeling: using a checklist to track roles
Questions. Project roles and their objects of interest
Position
Leadership
Modeling: roles of colleagues in the organization.
External and internal roles
Organizational positions, organizations, organizational units
Chiefs: they are jokers, expect them to perform any roles
Modeling: roles of the chief
Rank and level of mastery
How many project roles in total?
Errors in role definition
Modeling: who attended the last meeting
Tasks: performing roles in life

Not all systems are called systems
Questions. What to consider a system
System breakdown structure
Emergence and metasystem transition
Questions. System breakdown and emergence
Disorderliness and meta-system transition
A systemic approach against reductionism and holism.
Target System and Collective System Thinking
Description formats of system levels
System levels in systems engineering. Example of computing technology.
Modeling: system levels
4D Systemicity: patterns in space-time, rhythms
Modeling rhythm
Tasks in rhythm
System levels are distinguished by attention. Example of body work methods
Focusing on system levels. Example of social dances
System levels. Continuing the example of social dances: levels above the dancer.
Division of labor among creators. Our system. Creation graph.
Questions. System-of-interest and the relationship of systems
Recursive application of systems thinking: recursive attention management
Tasks on system levels

Relations of creation
Modeling: Chain of creation
Concept of use
Concept and architecture of the system
Modeling: concept of use and system concept
Recursive consideration in systems thinking
Examples of system terminology
Modeling: brief system description
Division of labor and system levels
Questions. Concept of use and system concept
Modeling: Concept of Use
Systems of systems
Intelligent agents in systems
System ethics
State construction and government projects
Future and proactivity of activities
Difficulty and measures of difficulty
Tasks: Systematic thinking of people around you

First, find the system-of-interest
The System-of-interest depends on who is looking for it
Modeling: System-of-interest
Systems-products and enabling system services
Example of a hair salon as a service provider
Service-Oriented. The Provider World.
Examples of services and their providers
Concept of the service
Modeling: services in a company
You are a team member
Modeling: System-of-interest and Engineered system/System-in-hand
Characteristics of the system-of-interest
Principle of the Postman
Frequent mistakes in identifying the system of interest
Modeling: verification for errors identification of the target system
System name
Questions. Naming the System
Supra system: it also needs to be found!
System approach: for all types of systems, not just for the system of interest.
Questions. Enabling systems
Tasks: you are a service provider

Fundamentality/transdisciplinarity of systems thinking
Four main types of system breakdown
Functional analysis and modular synthesis
One system, but multiple descriptions, multiple names: that's normal!
Alternative options for the main types of system partitioning
Non-matching of functional and modular breakdowns of the system
Modeling: functional and structural breakdowns
Development of the system concept: functional analysis and modular synthesis
Questions. Functional, constructive, spatial, cost parts - 1
Questions. Functional, constructive, spatial, cost parts - 2
Modeling: search for an affordance
Alphas and artifacts/products
Questions. Work Products
Apples from life, apples from task.
Modeling: classification of types of meta-models by types of meta-meta-models
Alphas
System Description
Modeling: descriptions, description methodologies, description objects of interest, stakeholders
Project roles and system descriptions
Sub-alpha
Differences between the concern and the viewpoint
Questions. Descriptions and important characteristics
Tasks: meta-modeling

Descriptions and methods of description, models and meta-models
Modeling: Classification chains (operational model, meta-model, meta-meta-model)
Multi-model and transdisciplinarity
Methodology and meta-model
Questions. Plurality of descriptions
Concept of Configuration
Functional descriptions: circuit diagrams, use case diagrams, scenarios
Modular/product/constructive descriptions
Questions. Functional, modular, spatial, and cost parts - 3
Platforms and tool stacks
Modeling: levels of the platform stack
Functionality and mastery of the subject area
Questions. Availability of functionality description
Organizational unit
Modeling: assigning organizational units to organizational roles that perform practices
The necessity of good modularity
Struggle with complexity in thinking
Enterprise engineering, non-engineering
Tasks: non-visual system modeling

The ontology of the system as a set of descriptions for conceptual attention focusing
The first generation of the systems approach: the system in its environment during operations/run-time
Second Generation of System Approach: system-of-interest created by system creators
Continuous everything in engineering as a techno-evolution
Scale-free descriptions of physical systems
Constructivism: systems perform operations on both physical objects and abstract objects.
The third generation of the systems approach: accounting for the evolution of time.
What's next

Introduction Additional materials

What is methodology.
Concept of method
Why study methodology
Methodology and Systems Thinking

Biological Life Cycle
System life cycle 1.0: work items changing the states of the system-of-interest
Modeling: case objects, their states, practices of achieving states
Performing work by organizational units
Illustration of the life cycle as work (LC 1.0)
Project life cycle
TEST Life cycle
Problems with the life cycle 1.0.
Practices
Life cycle 2.0: practices by which work is done
Operation/run-time as a separate stage of the life cycle
Chains of creation
"The times" of considering the system
Modeling: operational time, design-time, methodology realm
Concept of practice
Test Practices
Practice discipline and how to describe it.
Concept Technologies - 1
Technology to support practice
TEST Technologies - 2
Improvement and development
Where to find descriptions of modern engineering practices
Example: practices of the life cycle of system engineering
Comprehensive methods/methodologies
Modeling: methodology of development
Tasks: my practices

V-diagram
Model-driven approach in the lifecycle
Moving away from "waterfalls" with gates
Again about organization of development/lifecycle management/system creation and development management
The variety of work management methods
Flexible life cycle management methodologies and case management for work management.
TEST Development Methodology
Development of the system
The development method will say nothing about the organization.
Modeling: lifecycle management versus work management

Ontological status of practice
Practice as a first-class object
Decomposition of practices: example of making coffee
Professional communities (community of practice)
Main technique of defining practice
Practice, discipline, technology
Modeling: role, practice, qualification, discipline, technology
Evolution of practices
System levels of the target system and the choice of practices
Modeling: practices for different system levels
Task

The Kernel Alphas Diagram
Modern Concept of a Project
Checklists and collective collectiveness
Tasks: checklists
Areas of interest of the supra system, system-of-interest, creator
Area of interest, main alphas
Alphas are the common object of observation for the organization/team/collective/cooperation of the project
Roles and their leading Alphas
Alpha of commercial opportunity
Alpha of external project roles
Alpha of system description
Alpha of the system
Alpha of the system-of-interest operations/service/utilization/usage
What to keep an eye on in the project
Modeling: distribution of time to the system-of-interest, supra system, creator
Alpha state and artifacts/work products
How to work with the system diagram of a project or enterprise
Sub-alpha
Modeling: adaptation of the project system breakdown structure
Adaptation of the system project scheme, tracking alphas, sub-alphas
What's next

Additional materials

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