Using the PICARD theory as a tool to improve systems thinking ability

Abstract

Systems are not as real as we think they are. It is indeed true that engineers design things that when built and placed into service are very real. But these deployed things are merely an embodiment of the system's design. We make the common mistake of thinking that the deployed artifact is the "system." The engineering design is a system as a "concept." The elements of this conceptual system are the things involved in systems thinking. We conceive of various elements that come together as systems to examine their contribution to the system's intended "purpose." The PICARD theory was formulated to help the systems engineers and others to more readily see and understand the systemic aspects of a situation and to better employ systems thinking techniques. This paper will explore what it means to employ systems thinking to imagine various system structures and to examine these structures for their suitability in different situations to address current or anticipated problems.