Systems Design

Systems are the “engine-room” of any business. They are the routines used by people to convert business intentions into desired outcomes. To be effective, systems must be designed at the right level, authorised by the organisation and productive. 

The consequences of poorly designed systems can be frustration, perceived unfairness, lack of productivity and resistance. People may decide to achieve the outcome a different way, thereby short-circuiting the authorised method. Systems drive what people do, be it to use the system the intended way, or to change it.

The keys to system design are:

  • Ensuring it is developed at the right level which requires specific capability
  • Understanding a system’s impact on people
  • Understanding impacts on other systems
  • Ensuring the system has clarity and its cost is understood