Systems Theory in Project Management
Abstract
This article aims to explore how the Systems Theory can be applied to Project Management. In particular, it starts with a general description of the Systems Theory, from the definition of a system to the development of the system thinking in engineering [1]. It is not clear if engineering systems constitute a new discipline with theorems and frameworks that could be applied to every type of engineering systems. The article, then, continues discussing if it is licit to use this theory in the project management field. Here different points of view arise and a discussion in depth reveals the limits of the theory as well as the points of strengths like the capacity of adaptation of the system in order to always seek for the equilibrium. The main limitations that the Systems Theory faces are the undefined nature of relationships between the different parts of the system and the fact that it may be not applicable or hard to apply to smaller organizations. At this point, the different components of a system in the project manager field are presented: objectives, boundaries, attributes, relationships, and environment. A big role is played by the interconnections and the relationships within the different parts of the same system which characterize and defines the system itself. Defining them correctly may have a great impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Systems Theory. In the paragraph related to the application, the main tools used to translate the system thinking in graphics are reported (for example causal mapping, concept mapping, fishbone diagrams, and trend maps). The article will then focus on how to solve problems in Project Management using the Systems Theory. It ends with considerations about when the Systems Theory is generally used in the real cases together with some examples.
Big idea
Starting from the definition of system: “A set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network; a complex whole” [2] Systems Theory is a general concept developed in the biology field and then extended to many other fields including engineering. An engineering system is defined as: “A class of systems characterized by a high degree of technical complexity, social intricacy, and elaborate processes, aimed at fulfilling important functions in society”[3] Systems theory, known also as systems thinking, consists of applying the rules and properties which govern systems to other objects that can be thought similar. In particular, when dealing with Project Management a project itself can be thought as a complex system. This is due to the fact that a project is made by people and it constitutes a network with a precise scope: a purpose.
- ↑ Engineering Systems-Meeting Human Needs in a Complex Technological World, Olivier L. de Weck, Daniel Roos, and Christopher L. Magee
- ↑ https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/system
- ↑ MIT Engineering Systems Division (2008), “ Strategic Report, ” at http://esd.mit.edu/ about/strategic-report.html, accessed January 12, 2011.
