System Analysis

Complete your system analysis and recommendations report.

Develop your recommended interventions (Section IV) and write your introduction (Section I). Revise and integrate the work you have done on your milestones and submit your final project in its entirety.

It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback and knowledge gained throughout the course.

Overview

The final project for this course is the creation of a system analysis and recommendations report.

Systems thinking is all about solving problems—in organizations, world situations, and even our personal lives. But it is not just a procedure; it is a different way of approaching problems. Our experience has shown that this approach can yield exciting new insights, even into problems that have existed for years and that previously resisted attempts at improvement. Through this final project, you will have the opportunity to apply systems thinking to a real-world, contemporary challenge in the same way you would use systems thinking in future professional and organizational situations.

In this project, you will apply systems thinking within a scenario that can be shaped by your personal or professional interests. First, you will select a challenge area of focus—either one of the provided technological challenges below or your own choice approved by your instructor. For example, you might focus on a situation in your current or in a former workplace or in an organization with which you are affiliated (church, volunteer work, etc.), or you may choose from one of the emerging technology areas below:

• Autonomous vehicles
• Wearable and implantable technology
• Virtual and augmented reality

Then, you will refine your project focus by creating an identity for a client organization with vested interests in your chosen challenge area (this may be the organization you work for or are affiliated with). In your first milestone, you will identify plausible perspectives and goals for this organization, including what they see as the key problem related to the challenge area.

After you have established your project scenario and defined the problem, you will proceed as if you were a consultant recently hired by the organization. Using the principles, methods, and concepts of systems thinking, your task will be to help your client address (or, potentially, think differently about) the problem. Your work will include three main phases: identification and scoping of the problem, analysis of the systems producing the problem, and creation of recommended system interventions supporting desired outcomes. The results of your investigation will be compiled in a system analysis and recommendations report for your client organization to read and consider.

The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three and Six. The final product will be submitted in Module Nine.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

• Illustrate the fundamental philosophical assumptions, conceptual frameworks, and problem-solving strategies of systems thinking using appropriate terminology
• Characterize real-world organizations and situations as systems by logically applying systems patterns and modeling techniques
• Assess contemporary issues for their potential to be best understood and effectively addressed using a systems approach
• Develop informed recommendations for addressing current challenges by identifying possible system modifications and intervention strategies that lead toward desired outcomes

Prompt

Your system analysis and recommendations report should answer the following prompt: From a systems thinking perspective, what is the true nature of your client’s problem? What are the systems at play, how are the systems producing the issues, and how might one intervene in those systems to achieve desired outcomes?

1. Introduction
   1. Illustrate the conceptual framework underpinning your report.
      1. Describe the key principles and methods of systems thinking. Remember that your audience (i.e., your client) may not be familiar with this different approach to problem solving, so be sure to clearly articulate the major patterns and characteristics of a systems thinking approach.
      2. Specifically, define the term “system.” Illustrate your answer with examples of the different types of systems archetypes.
   2. Articulate the value of systems thinking. In other words, defend to your client why you believe your approach to this problem is sound. How does systems thinking enable problem solving? How is this way of thinking distinct from systems engineering or other approaches to problem solving?
   3. Summarize the context of your report, including a brief description of your client organization and its identified problem.
2. System Modeling
   1. Develop causal loop diagrams that apply to the case with at least 20 causal factors to illustrate. Be sure to use appropriate symbols that clearly display the information in graphic form.
   2. Develop stock and flow diagrams that apply to the case with at least 10 stocks and 20 causal factors to illustrate. Be sure to use appropriate symbols that clearly display the information in graphic form.
3. Problem Analysis
   1. Apply system archetypes to your case in order to better understand the problem. Illustrate your selections using specific examples.
   2. Identify the extent to which there have been previous attempts at solving this or related problems. To what extent was systems thinking applied in the previous attempts? What can be learned from them?
   3. Identify the extent to which there are analogous problems or situations that contribute to your understanding of this case. What insights can you glean from these similar cases?
   4. Using a systems thinking approach, characterize the true nature of the problem as you see it. In other words, to what extent is there a “problem behind the problem”? Cite specific evidence to support your conclusion.
4. Recommended Interventions
   1. Identify recommended interventions. Specifically, identify leverage points that can be used to modify the system, explain how they would be applied to the system, and describe the possible impact of each.
   2. Evaluate the likely effects of your recommended interventions for your client using specific evidence that supports your interpretation. To what extent might there be unintended consequences and how might they be mitigated?
   3. Finally, defend your use of the scientific method in arriving at and validating your recommended interventions. In what ways did you apply the scientific method to test your recommended interventions? Cite specific evidence to support your claims.

Milestones

Milestone One: Introduction and Project Methodology In Module Three, you will identify and describe the challenge area you wish to focus on for your final project, build your client profile, and formulate a problem statement that leads to a systems thinking approach to address your client’s needs. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: System Modeling and Problem Analysis In Module Six, you will submit your system modeling and problem analysis (Sections II and III above). This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Final Submission: System Analysis and Recommendations Report In Module Nine, you will determine your recommended interventions (Section IV above) and also write your introduction (Section I above). You will then revise and incorporate your milestones to submit your final project in its entirety. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback and knowledge gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.

What to Submit

Your report should be 10 to 12 pages in length with double spacing and 12-point Times New Roman font. All citations should be in APA format.