Systems thinking is an analysis approach that focuses on how the different parts of a “whole” system interrelate and how systems work within the context of other systems “systems of systems”.
The success of a digitalisation project relies on the understanding that a technology system is one part of the organisational “system of systems” and will very rarely work independently.
The saying “no man is an island” is thus also very applicable to technology applications.
In this post we cover some of the ecosystems that must be considered in the analysis and design of a systems architecture.
Business ecosystem
The purpose for starting a digitalisation project can be varied, but generally it should address a set of organisational objectives through servicing the needs of its people, processes and policies.
It is critical that the business’s functional, non-functional and the process baseline measurements are documented. The documents are used to focus the deliverables of the project and act as input into formal contracts with internal and external business partners.
Data and information systems ecosystem
Irrespective of its application, technology systems gather, create and share data. Data is transformed into information through the application of a specific business perspective. These perspectives provide insights to organisations that invoke action (corrective or innovative).
In applying systems thinking it is important to understand which other systems (technological or other) the project in focus will interact with. The interactions being either a dependency on data from another system or vice versa.
Bad data quality and process work arounds and delays are often some of the symptoms seen in digitalisation projects where the data and information systems perspective was not applied.
Technical ecosystem
As with the other systems perspectives, the technical ecosystem is wide ranging. It considers technical infrastructure, networks, security and software development amongst others. How much focus or consideration each of these components are offered can depend on the type of system, industry and/or technical maturity of the organisation.
Each of the aforementioned must be considered in the systems architecture design. Often system security breaches, systems not performing under load or being offline for extended periods are often symptoms of improper analysis of the technical ecosystem.
Operations ecosystem
Business continuity, organisational support and systems maintenance all form part of the operations ecosystem. Issues in digitalisation projects related to not planning for technology disaster recovery, slow business benefit realisation and negative sentiment of technology support is directly linked to improper consideration of the operations ecosystem.
In closing, although not an exhaustive list the key systems thinking perspectives are introduced when designing and implementing a digitalisation project. It must be noted that each of the perspectives have equal importance and must always be considered. The level of focus each perspective receives will vary by project.
Athdown IT consulting offers advisory services to organisations of any size wanting or that have started their digitalisation project. Contact us for an obligation free discussion.