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So, What is a System?

I’m working backwards. I started this entry on defining change. Then I realized change can’t exist without systems. So, what is a system? I like the following (heavily inspired by Systems Thinking Basics: From Concepts to Causal Loops)

Single Point Requirements

The take home lesson we learned, “Don’t accept a single example for requirements that cover a class.” We even referred to ensuing similar requests (from them and other clients) as “Oh yeah, it’s the simple case of A500.”

Different But Useful

Maps make it easier for us to work with the real world (whatever that may be). Some detailed information gets removed, but if the structure is similar to the territory, the map is useful. The problem is deciding when and how to change maps.

Giving Up – Reframed

Finally, I’d reframe your blog question from “What’s the anti-pattern”, to “When does a useful pattern become an anti-pattern?”

Giving Up to Get Ahead

In my years in “da biddness”, I’ve seen people time, and time, and time again do the same thing, and wonder why it didn’t work. And when what they were doing didn’t work, they would do it again, and marvel that once again, their actions didn’t return the results they hoped for.