Module 1
Systems Thinking Foundations and Problem Framing
- Systems, purpose, boundaries and environment
- Reductionism versus whole-system thinking
- Stakeholder viewpoints and multiple perspectives
- Rich pictures, context diagrams and problem framing
Foundation and Definition
Systems Thinking and Analysis
See the whole system, expose hidden relationships and design better interventions in complex environments.
Course overview
Move beyond linear problem-solving to understand behaviour, feedback and emergence.
Systems Thinking and Analysis develops the ability to frame complex problems as interconnected systems rather than isolated symptoms.
Participants learn to define boundaries and viewpoints, map causal relationships and feedback, recognise delays and emergent behaviour, explore system dynamics, identify leverage points and test intervention logic.
The course connects systems thinking to technical, organisational and policy decisions so participants can diagnose complexity more rigorously and avoid unintended consequences.
Learning outcomes
What participants will be able to do.
By the end of the course, participants should be able to:
- Explain core systems-thinking concepts and why reductionist analysis can fail in complex settings.
- Define system purpose, boundaries, environment, viewpoints and key relationships.
- Create causal-loop and influence models to represent feedback and interdependence.
- Recognise common system archetypes, delays, non-linearity and emergent behaviour.
- Use qualitative system-dynamics reasoning to explore behaviour over time.
- Identify leverage points, unintended consequences and intervention risks.
- Compare alternative interventions using scenarios and whole-system criteria.
- Apply systems thinking to a real organisational or technical challenge.
Who should attend
Designed for professionals who contribute to complex-system decisions and delivery.
- Systems engineers and technical professionals.
- Project, programme and transformation leaders managing interdependent work.
- Business analysts, strategists and operational improvement professionals.
- Policy, sustainability and service-design professionals addressing complex problems.
- Managers and leaders who need stronger whole-system decision capability.
Prerequisites
Professionally relevant and application-focused.
No specialist modelling background is required. Participants should bring a complex problem or system challenge that can be used during application exercises.
Course structure
A five-module systems engineering learning journey.
The sequence develops understanding, application and practical engineering outputs progressively across five connected Modules.
Module 2
Causality, Feedback and Interdependence
- Cause-and-effect logic
- Reinforcing and balancing feedback loops
- Delays, accumulations and unintended effects
- Causal-loop and influence diagrams
Module 3
Behaviour Over Time, Dynamics and Archetypes
- Behaviour-over-time patterns
- Stocks, flows and qualitative system dynamics
- System archetypes and recurring structures
- Non-linearity, path dependence and tipping behaviour
Module 4
Complexity, Emergence and Leverage
- Complex adaptive systems and emergence
- Resilience, adaptation and self-organisation
- Leverage points and intervention design
- Assumptions, uncertainty and boundary critique
Module 5
Scenario Analysis and Workplace Application
- Scenario exploration and intervention testing
- Trade-offs, second-order effects and ethics
- Communicating system insights to decision-makers
- Applied system challenge and action plan
Learning experience
Apply engineering concepts—not simply remember terminology.
Frame
Define the real system
Use boundaries, viewpoints and context to avoid solving the wrong problem.
Map
Expose relationships
Build causal and influence models that make interdependence visible.
Explore
Understand behaviour
Reason about feedback, delays and dynamic patterns over time.
Intervene
Find leverage
Compare interventions and anticipate second-order effects.
Transfer
Apply to a live challenge
Use the methods on a participant-selected technical or organisational system.
Completion requirements
Demonstrate participation, application and professional judgement.
- Participate in systems-mapping and diagnostic workshops.
- Complete causal, behaviour and intervention analysis exercises.
- Present an applied systems-thinking analysis to the group.
- Complete knowledge checks and a workplace application plan.
Participant outputs
Leave with practical systems engineering artefacts.
- System boundary and context map.
- Stakeholder viewpoint analysis.
- Causal-loop or influence diagram.
- Behaviour-over-time and archetype analysis.
- Leverage-point and intervention matrix.
- Applied systems-thinking action plan.
Delivery options
Choose the format that fits your people and engineering environment.
Instructor-led
Live Classroom
Face-to-face delivery with facilitated discussion, system cases, engineering workshops, technical reviews and immediate feedback.
Instructor-led
Live Virtual Classroom
Interactive online delivery using collaborative workspaces, modelling activities, breakout analysis and guided application.
Flexible
Blended Learning
A structured combination of preparation, live sessions, applied assignments, engineering artefacts and follow-up application.
Organisation-specific
Corporate and In-Company
Tailored delivery aligned with organisational lifecycle processes, standards, systems, engineering roles, models and capability priorities.
Frequently asked questions
Course information and participation.
Is this course only for engineers?
No. Systems thinking is useful in technical, organisational, policy, service and transformation environments where outcomes depend on interacting factors.
Do I need mathematics or simulation software?
No. The course focuses first on disciplined qualitative modelling and analysis. Quantitative simulation may be demonstrated where useful but is not a prerequisite.
Will we use causal-loop diagrams?
Yes. Participants practise causal and influence mapping, feedback analysis and behaviour-over-time reasoning as practical tools for diagnosis and intervention.
Can I bring a real organisational problem?
Yes. Workplace challenges are encouraged for application exercises, provided confidential information is handled appropriately.
Can the course be customised?
Yes. Corporate delivery can use engineering, business, policy, operational or transformation cases relevant to the organisation.
Take the next step
Strengthen whole-system judgement for complex problems and interventions.
Discuss public delivery, a corporate cohort or a tailored programme aligned with your organisation’s systems, lifecycle environment and engineering capability priorities.