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鈥淪ystems thinking is about understanding that things are dynamic and complicated, and that sets of things are interacting in different ways,鈥� explains Andrew Wright ChPP FAPM, leader of the APM Systems Thinking Interest Network and Managing Partner of Dynamic Technologies.

Wright is the co-author, with Cesar Rendora ChPP, Head of Engineering Major Programmes at Jacobs, and Estar Bennett, Head of Programme and PMO at Thales UK, of APM鈥檚 new guide Doing the Right Project: Using systems thinking to select the right project.

Talking to the APM Podcast, they explained the huge benefits systems thinking can bring, especially to complex projects, and how they鈥檝e put it into practice.

Below is some of their best advice for those who want to start experimenting with this advantageous approach to managing projects.

鈥淚n project management, we tend to focus on different functions, but I would say systems thinking really brings everything together. It鈥檚 a unifying theme of the various functions, and I think project managers should look at it that way,鈥� Rendora explains.

1. Don鈥檛 be afraid to get stuck in

鈥淭he hardest thing about putting systems thinking into practice is the initial perception of trying to get it started,鈥� Rendora says. 鈥淪ystems thinking can be confused with different things. In my earlier thinking, I thought it was similar to systems engineering 鈥� more looking into how the technical aspects of a project are verified and validated. But systems thinking is much broader than that. As you get deeper into your understanding of what systems thinking is, you realise how beneficial it is to the wider function of a project manager.

鈥淭he book that we have written will hopefully get you started. There's information about how it鈥檚 applicable to project management, but also some frameworks and tools that hopefully will help guide you. We don鈥檛 aim to create a perfect solution, but we鈥檙e trying to enable a project team to have a shared understanding of the problem and hopefully also come up with the right solutions,鈥� says Rendora.

2. Come with an open mind

鈥淭o get the full benefits of the tools and methodologies that are applied for systems thinking, the team has to come into any meetings that require systems thinking with an open mind, because it鈥檚 about behaviours and mindsets,鈥� explains Bennett. 鈥淪ystems thinking is very much about challenging the status quo to solve any problems and arrive at realistic solutions that are workable for a long-term setting. Systems thinking is very much a problem-solving methodology and approach using different techniques.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that the team comes with a good mindset of trying to understand what the problems are, what the issues are, and to keep practising different techniques for different scenarios. There isn鈥檛 a one-size-fits-all approach, tool or technique. It has to be tailored to fit the issue or the problem being resolved or being looked into.鈥�

3. In an increasingly volatile world, now is the time to start

鈥淭he bottom line is the world has become much more dynamic in the last few years. You go to sleep in relative peace and wake up to find a new war and airline flights cancelled,鈥� says Wright. 鈥淪ystems thinking helps us to work more comfortably with the dynamic aspects of projects today. It helps us to deal with the fact that no plan can any longer be carved in tablets of stone.

鈥淓ffectively, we鈥檙e all dancing on a volcano. We need the tools and techniques to manage up to executive and board level, because things are never simple or predictable anymore and executive leadership can鈥檛 expect simple, predictable results from simplistic policies. They鈥檝e got to recognise the complexities and instabilities that have to be built into the management of projects. This is what the guide鈥檚 all about.鈥� 

Listen to the APM Podcast鈥檚 episode on systems thinking on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube

You can purchase a copy of Doing the Right Project: Using systems thinking to select the right project at this link

 

You may also be interested in:

• What is systems thinking?
• Systems Thinking: How is it used in projects and project management? 
• Doing the Right Project: Using a Systems Thinking Approach to Select Successful Projects guide insight