## The Black box approach The cases presented below were derived using the [[The Principles of Systems Analysis and Design#Black box approach|black-box method]], which posits that any system can be analysed, provided that its limits are defined and any underlying assumptions are declared. ![[systems-diagrams.png]] We used Enterprise Architect from [Sparx Systems](https://www.sparxsystems.com/) to establish these diagrams. These models are part of an approach to projects, which is to ‘try and model and see if it flies’. You can only build a system if you can model it first, or at least describe it. However, the converse may not hold. It’s not because you can model it that you can create it. Building takes resources, a business case, funding, skills and time. ## Modelling Systems Consider the importance of documentation when dealing with complex systems. Models and modelling describing systems can help to understand a new domain. The systemic approach views the world as a system of interacting subsystems. Humans naturally approach the world in this way. We observe the world without necessarily knowing its inner workings. We perceive the world as we do, but can’t take in the detail of absolutely everything, and are obliged to make some assumptions. ## What is a system A system can be anything from a simple cell, a tiny creature, to the world’s financial system, defined by its boundaries and its inbound and outbound interactions. The human body is a system that takes in water, food and produces waste and heat. Human consciousness is a rather more complex system taking in information and producing a myriad of things from art to science. The systemic approach allows us to analyse ‘the world’ as a set of multiple overlapping, interacting systems. Our analysis depends on our point of view and the objectives of the analysis. ![[the-world-system.png]] A sociologist may analyse the world as large blocks of social function; the sole trader may see the workings of their business. The World Bank might see the world somewhat differently. The developer sees detailed lines of code: the surgeon the inner workings of the human body. Each has a different perspective on the world; each may observe the same system from different angles. The subject and degree of analysis therefore depend on the position and role of the observer. A ‘casual’ observer or an actor of change will view the system differently. This approach then allows us to analyse ‘the world’ as a single system or as a set of multiple overlapping interacting systems. The World as a System model assumes that analysis is dependent on the observer’s perspective, and may or may not therefore be complete or truly accurate. ![[national-boundary.png]] ## Society is Dependent on Systems We can observe, therefore, the world from any perspective. We can observe its workings or its interactions with other systems. But unless we have privileged access, we can’t analyse the internal workings, and must therefore trust our viewpoint or the available description of the system’s operation without necessarily having this detailed knowledge. ![[dependency-on-systems-mindmap.png]] ## The Energy System This model was developed during research for a film about how society has changed in France over the last 50 years. One observation was our dependency on ‘networks’, which are the basis of modern civilization. We depend on and integrate into networks, such as the information exchange network and the food distribution network. The medical system, for instance, brings us laudable cures but people often know too little. We’re therefore dependent on the system. We shape ourselves to reflect what society expects of us; we become what society allows us to become. This can be the case for so many systems on which we depend for water, food, energy, transport, health, social security, information exchange, news, and political management… ### Overview of the energy system *Different types of ways in which we produce energy* ![[energy-production-types.png]] ![[energy-system-overview.png]] We developed an energy system model to discuss society’s reliance on and funding for critical systems, incl[[Case Studies in Systems Analysis using UML#Water distribution system.|uding water]] and food distribution. ### Networks ![[network-case-studies.png]] ### Detailed view of the energy system ![[energy-system.png]] It’s possible to view the system from any perspective, its internal workings, and its interactions with other systems. ## French Social Security System This analysis describes the relationships between various actors in the French Social Security system, particularly the patient, the doctor, health insurance companies and the social security itself. It describes the financial flows in health care delivery and for the supply of medication. ![[patient-relationships-sequence.png]] The functionality is visible to users and lends itself to analyse. We examine the physical and financial relationships between users and professionals, and some consideration of independent but integrated actors such as pharmaceutical companies. ### Pricing of medication ![[pricing-of-medication.png]] ### Health care use cases ![[healthcare-delivery.jpeg]] ## Supply Chain System #ERP The Compuprod Case Study discusses the main interfaces between functions and people and demonstrates the **necessity for** coherent systems to support communication. Compuprod Case Study was part of a course on ERP systems and was to describe horizontal communication supported by an ERP. Purchasing has cross-functional data requirements, and procurement prefers having fixed prices. Marketing needs configuration costs from purchasing to calculate sales forecasts. I explained much more detail on this before: transversal data flows, the need for horizontal communication, how the ERP does the job, standard processing, and avoiding information islands. ![[compuprod-mindmap.png]] It deals with the analysis of relationships between actors across the supply chain and discusses the justification for transversal systems such as an ERP and the information requirements of actors. The exercise was to demonstrate the **necessity for communication** and for coherent systems to support it. Each actor requires a **set of information** to complete his or her job and **supplies information** to colleagues to complete their respective jobs. This interdependence reinforces the need to ensure the quality of data exchanged and to maintain an efficient organization. Each actor requires and supplies information to colleagues with information to complete their respective jobs. ![[overview-compuprod-case-study.png]] ### Class exercise This model was used as part of a DSCG programme on Enterprise Resource Planning. The class was divided into groups, each group attributed to a department within the company. The following diagrams in UML result from the exercise and the class’s thinking. The exercise provokes thinking around communication and examines the following questions. - What are the risks for the company to circulate unreliable information? - What are the solutions? ### Objective for students The objective was for students to determine the main functional interfaces between people and the requirements for communication. Each group played a department within the company. We set up a role-play environment where each group determined their information needs and those of others. The objective was to emphasize this need for information and its central role in job functions. This concept also introduced the notion of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, which structure the transactional aspect of this interpersonal interaction. ### Horizontal supply chain This sequence diagram illustrates horizontal communication by people across departments. ![[compuprod-sequence-diagram.png]] Each actor in the system requires a **set of information** to complete his or her job and **supplies information** to colleagues to complete their respective jobs. ## Water Distribution System The water distribution system relies on managed and maintained infrastructure. This infrastructure includes the piping systems for clean and foul water, the cleaning stations, and the extensive human resources required to maintain the system operational. The model aims to demonstrate the importance of the water distribution network and an initial understanding of the significant infrastructure involved. Such a description of a system might form the basis of documentation used in exchanges between industrial actors. System theory states that it’s sufficient to define the boundaries of the system to describe its function. We describe the system by its observable properties. The value of the description depends on the context of its use. The model may be a useful starting point for appraising the water distribution system, rather than a full and perfect description. It could form the basis of further development, critical analysis and ultimately improvement. A secondary objective is to demonstrate the value of visual methods. UML being a structured language, the symbols and links incorporate meaning. Diagram objects such as use case, activity and sequence diagram describe the system. ![[water-distribution-infrastructure.png]] The Water Distribution System is a revision of an old college project, originally to calculate water inputs and outputs into a valley system. Inputs are from direct rainfall and run-off from streams; outputs are the industrial and domestic users of water and any natural soak away. ![[systems-dependency.png]] The analysis aims to model a water system starting from the source (rain) to a valley system and out onto the sea. It considers this most integrated of natural systems as describable with discrete system boundaries. ![[water-system-header.png]] Overview of the water distribution systems analysis model The water distribution system is an example of a system described in UML and that it’s possible to describe a system by its observable properties. Below is a UML use case model of a modern urban water distribution system. The system stores water; users use it and then return it to the natural environment after treatment. The objective is to show that we can break down a system into processes and studied by delimitation. We developed three UML diagrams to describe the observed process. The first diagram is a use case diagram, which aims to include the principal actors and processes involved in the water treatment and usage cycle. ![[water-distribution-system-use-case.png]] ### Identifying processes - Water storage in the sea, on land, in waterways and reservoirs - Distribution of water to and away from users - Water usage by principle users - Water cleaning after use - Infrastructure management The use case diagram identifies the significant actors. Use cases and processes are interchangeable, but actors may interact with a process differently, hence ‘use case’. ### Activity Diagram The three main activities that water encounters, therefore, are its storage, usage and cleaning to return to the start of the cycle. Environmental consequences exist depending on the quality of the cleaning system. ![[water-context.jpeg]] ### Physical flows The third diagram aims to use the sequence diagram to map the physical flows of water between the different entities it encounters in the cycle. ![[water-sequence.jpeg]] ## Service Site Model The main idea is that while suppliers can offer goods for sale, potential customers could post their purchasing requirements for items whether they exist or not. Either as an RFQ or as a reverse auction. Supply is matched with demand: customers register their demand and suppliers respond to it. A lot of work is needed to move the model forward from a conceptual one to a live system, although systems do exist today, which apply the principle. On the one hand, potential customers register a need, which is matched with a provider. Both pay to register and pay when their need is fulfilled. ### Class Diagram for Service Site An excellent way to [[Define Projects and Protect the Plan]] is to model the business context, focusing on the question in hand. The modelling raises questions that form the basis of the project issues database. ![[service-site-ERD.png]] ### The matching function This is a theoretical UML model of the relationships between potential customers and service providers. The idea is to register both requirements and services provided. ![[matching-articles-needs.jpg]] The working model is the artisan’s business challenge of getting materials at the best price. Both supplier and customer register their demand and the supply. This allows the database at its heart to evaluate both demand and supply, and to match one with the other. ### Reverse Auctions The marketplace receives standard supplier offerings and autoregulates pricing through reverse auction bids. Users upload material requirements. ![[market-place.png]] ###Potential markets for a service site The concept could be used for the direct sale of farm goods by producers or as an online catalogue between automotive parts producers and buyers, artisans and building materials suppliers, or international estate agents. One idea was for artisans in the building trade and suppliers of materials; another is for Bio House Building materials. ![[potential-markets-for-service-site.png]] Amazon marketplace, Cdiscount, RDC marketplace, or even [Ebay](https://ebay.co.uk/) and Price Minister implemented marketplaces for their products. Eazylang and TM-Town have established marketplaces for translation segments. ![[service-site-verticals.png]] The service site model is aimed at B2B and B2C relationships, and, in theory, could be applied to any market and customized vertically. The working model is the artisan’s business model, where the business problem is about getting materials at the best price. Applications exist that apply the concept of a marketplace to services – a site bringing service providers and customers in contact - and could apply to many markets is an example of vertical customization. ## Transport Management System The following analysis came from a project to build a transport management database for a transport association. The organization transports people in financial difficulty, in return-to-work situations, with social problems, or mobility impaired workers on low wages. The following Study of a Transport System was built on a live project to build a database for a transport association. The organization transports people in financial difficulty, in return to work situations, social difficulty or mobility-impaired workers on low wages. Transport is financed from public funds and from employer contributions. The association employs drivers and owns vehicles. ### Context The organization owns a certain number of vehicles and organizes regular transport for people with low incomes. They wished to have indicators for the number of runs they do, to serve as proof of service to their funding organizations. ![[transport-system.jpg]] ### Financing They’re financed from public funds, on the one hand, and contributions from employers, on the other. They employ drivers and own vehicles. Their requirement is to transport these people in daily rounds with people whose journeys are financed in different ways. Thus, for each person transported, a link to their financing organization exists. The model contains the relational model destined for Microsoft Access, analysis of required outputs and inputs. ![[transport tableaux de bords.png]] ### Relational model ![[système-transport-modele-relationel.png]] ### Required outputs The required outputs are activity dashboards and statistics to justify the number of people transported against the funding that financiers provide. Activity dashboards for the general day-to-day running of the transport business. ![[statistiques-transport.png]] ### Activity Reporting Reports from the transport management database enable the association to compare journeys and people transported by financing organization to justify funds against trips, and could calculate budgets for each financing organization. ### Contact management The transport management database manages contacts within each organization, holding data on the people who authorize users’ journeys. The module to manage users holds their financing status and simple statistics on user profiles. The following entity relationship model was used in the draught design of a Microsoft Access transport management database. ### Database requirements As people’s journeys are financed in different ways, the database requirements require a link between the person’s journey and the organization that financed it. This enables the Association to compare journeys and people transported by financing organizations to be able to justify funds against journeys. The system can calculate budgets for each financing organization. The system also manages contacts within each organization, holding data on the people who authorize journeys for users. It includes a module to manage users, their financing status and simple statistics designed to understand the profiles of users. The database model is a relational model destined for Microsoft Access and includes an analysis of the inputs and outputs required.