Areas of Interest
In Section 3, we already introduced the concept of the subject of interest. Several related characteristics or subjects of interest can be grouped into an area of concern. These different areas of concern are the focus of specific roles within a project. Since there are quite a few subjects of interest, it is convenient to organize them into certain areas.
A systems thinker assumes that each role wants to know (and anticipates) how its preferences will be addressed. Therefore, for those roles whose subjects of interest have been selected to be addressed, it is necessary to provide responses to these concerns in order to assess the feasibility of their preferences.
The responses to each role’s concerns are descriptions in the form of documentation (models). These models are created only for the subjects of interest and preferences that have been chosen to be addressed. However, it is not necessary for each preference to correspond to a separate model. Usually, models are developed not for individual preferences, but for subjects or even areas of concern that the team has decided to address. For example, to address the concerns of both the seller and the buyer roles, a “cost estimate” model is created.
Since several systems are considered simultaneously in a project—not just the system of interest—there will be many models in the project. All these models must be interconnected. And before creating them, it is necessary to decide exactly which models to create. For example, in addition to a cost estimate for the system of interest, you might prepare an expert assessment or another description, and the project will also require a team budget (payroll fund) as a description of the system-creator.
Therefore, for the convenience of planning, creating, coordinating, and modifying models in a project, areas of concern are introduced, which relate to:
- the three main roles—the areas of concern for the entrepreneur, engineer, and manager. These are the columns of the 3x3 Table;
- the three main systems—the areas of concern for the supersystem, the system of interest, and the creator. These are the rows of the 3x3 Table.
Each area of concern will have its own models, its own subjects of interest for the roles and their preferences, as well as work artifacts. In this sense, the 3x3 Table draws attention to specific subjects of interest for the main roles at the level of particular subsystems. It serves as a kind of checklist. Accordingly, when implementing any project, you can list the documents (descriptions, models) that cover specific cells of the table.
The three areas of concern for the main roles highlight the need for executors for all the roles listed in the 3x3 Table, who possess the relevant methods (practices) and create the necessary work artifacts.
The three areas of concern for the supersystems answer the corresponding questions[1] when applying a systems approach:
- Area of concern for the supersystem: why, for what purpose, and for whom should something be done, and how will their behavior change if you offer them something new? Here, you need to hypothesize which communities of people could improve their lives by adopting the system you offer, enabling them to take on new roles and/or use new methods (including technologies). For example, Henry Ford offered a car to all adults, and people became drivers to solve their transportation problems. By the way, not everything has to be new; for example, roles and discipline may remain unchanged, and you might offer only a new technology. For instance, “SAP” for accountants who previously used Excel. In this area of concern, the main objects of focus are: the group or community of people with their dissatisfactions, their roles and methods (including tools), and the role of the proposed system of interest.
- Area of concern for the system of interest: what is this new thing from the perspective of the product (system), what are its characteristics, and how is it structured—what is it made of? After forming hypotheses for the area of concern of the supersystem and defining the role of the system of interest, you can move on to determining the structure of the system, including making architectural decisions. For example, a clock for a space station, for a person, and for a tower will differ not only in materials but also in their fundamental operating principles. Here, you will need to calculate the total cost of ownership of the system and estimate its price for the buyer.
- Area of concern for the creation systems: who will create the system and how, including which methods and with what resources? After forming hypotheses about the system’s structure, you move on to its direct creation. For this, you need to determine the methods (practices) by which it will be created. You also need to identify all creator roles, select executor-agents (people, contractor organizations, tools, and AI), and acquire other resources. In addition, you need to calculate the profitability of the entire endeavor.
These questions were previously discussed in the subsection “The use of a systems approach or systems thinking and systematicity.” ↩︎