Systems theory: Difference between revisions

! System !! System characteristics !! Management techniques

| '''[[Simple system]]'''|| Static process. Requires a series of steps. No interaction. Little if/then logic. Fixable (and best handled) by [[algorithm]]. ||  Manageable by ''unskilled'' application of algorithm. Suitable for machine production.

| '''[[Complicated system]]'''|| Bounded interactive process: Involves interaction with an autonomous/uncontrollable agent but boundaries are fixed, and rules of engagement are static fully specified, known to all participants. All relevant information is available to all participants. || Manageable by ''skilled'' application of algorithm. Suitable for autonomous operation by [[subject matter expert]].

| '''[[Complex system]]'''|| Unbounded, interactive process. Involves interaction with automonous agents without boundaries, without pre-agreed rules, and where information is limited and asymmetric. Rules, boundaries and each participant’s objectives are dynamic and change interactively. Impossible to predict. || Requires expertise, experience, autonomy, imaginative adaptability, [[heuristics]], and the ability to make, adjust and reject provisional conclusions as information changes.