Systems thinking and their relevance to Agile

I heard about systems thinking first in an excellent LeSS practitioner training in 2017. Since then, I’ve read the best book on that subject: “The Fifth Discipline” by Peter Senge. I refer to it quite often in my daily work.

Systems thinking is a way of understanding the world that focuses on the relationships and interactions between different parts of a system rather than considering each part in isolation. In the context of agile, systems thinking can help organizations better understand how their processes and decisions impact the larger system in which they operate and can help them make more effective and strategic decisions.

One of the fundamental principles of agile is the idea of embracing change. Agile recognizes that the world is constantly changing and that organizations need to be able to adapt and respond to these changes to stay competitive. Systems thinking can help organizations better understand the underlying forces driving these changes and can help them identify the most effective ways to respond.

For example, an organization using systems thinking to approach an agile project might start by identifying the various stakeholders involved, such as customers, employees, and partners. They would then consider how these stakeholders interact with each other and the organization as a whole and how…