Referencing Styles : APA Systems thinking has been described as an approach to problem solving where "problems" are viewed as symptoms of an underlying system. If the underlying cause of a system problem is not addressed, problems can repeat and grow and cause unexpected consequences. Holism presents the big picture by viewing at the system as a whole. Reductionism generates knowledge of any complex system and understanding of situation by breaking then down into their components parts and then studying these simple elements in terms of cause and effect. (Willy Ostreng). Underlying cause of problems and select a Systems Thinking Approach to resolve them. Successful Project Managers understand in detail the customer requisites during project scope Definition, avoiding therefore changes during the execution stage that will negatively influence the schedule, cost and quality of the project results. Unfortunately, the project manager and the Customers have often different communication skills and scope changes are frequent throughout the project life. This paper proposes the use of Systems Modeling as a communication tool to allow the project team to illustrate potential project results to customers and better understand their expectations at the earliest stage possible. The implementation of this approach to the MITPortugal Green Islands Project clearly shows how it was possible to fill the gap between the customer and the project team in terms of the project objectives and requisites. Introduction Holism Vs Reductionism Holism: In holism, the whole is more than or different from the sum of its parts. Holism refers to any approach that emphasizes the whole rather than their constituent parts. Holism puts the study of wholes before that of the parts. It does not, therefore, breaking organisations, or other entities, down into parts in order to understand them and intervene in them. Holism is necessary in the modern world where managers are facing ever increasing complexity, change and diversity, and the solutions they have to cope with these issues are inadequate. Too often managers are sold simple solutions to complex problems. A simple example of holism can be the way the health of an individual is judged. A person is said to be healthy if his overall well-being is healthy and not just his/her individual body organs. Another example that can further illustrate this concept. In an electrical transmission line, the sending end voltage is equal to the receiving end voltage in theory. But for a long transmission line, an astonishing phenomenon called the 'Ferranti Effect' is observed. Due to this effect, the receiving end voltage of a transmission line is greater than the sending end voltage; a result of the intermediate charging capacitance. In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Reductionism A typical definition of reductionism is that the nature of a complex thing reduces to the sum of the natures of its simpler or more fundamental parts. Reductionism is the study of a larger phenomenon's parts, taking the assumption that from exhaustive study of the parts the whole can be understood, like studying a car's wheels, engine, electrical system etc to understand the whole car perfectly. This can be seen in studies like Baron- Cohen et al. where a smaller area (ie: empathy) is studied to try and gain an understanding of a wider phenomenon, (ie: autism). This will often use scientific methods, as smaller components can be studied in settings with higher controls (validity) and standardised methods (reliability). reductionism' is the complement of holism, it believes that a system or entity is the sum of its parts or components, and understanding the basic components or parts can give us an understanding of the entire system. Here, again, this concept can be better understood with an analogy. A lumped electrical circuit consisting of separable elements like a resistance, capacitance, and inductance can be analyzed as a sum of its individual parts. There are no automatic or necessary contradictions between the two ‘isms’. The one focuses on the properties of parts, the other on the relationship between them. Put together, they stand out as supplementary rather than conflicting, as inclusive rather than exclusive System thinking Systems thinking, or “systemic” thinking, is thinking about the whole instead of the parts. The emergent properties cannot be observed or changed by studying or taking action at the level of individual components. Systems thinking means giving emphasis to the relationships between the different components, rather than just looking at the components in isolation. Systems thinking also means taking into account the context, circumstances or environment that surrounds the particular system being studied, so “systems thinking” is also "contextual” thinking -understanding the system within the context of a larger whole. Some people also call this “holistic” thinking. Consider a car. If a mechanic makes improvements to the steering wheel or radiator, does it guarantee that the car will run faster? The answer is clearly no, because the mechanic has only addressed parts and not the system. The same holds true for most complex systems and organizations. To better understand the need for systems thinking, it may help to analyze a sample situation. In this example, the employees in the operations department of a manufacturing firm are complaining that they face several issues related to email and the Internet that are time-consuming to resolve because the typical lead time for issue resolution by the information technology (IT) help desk is quite high. A practitioner’s first thought for improving this situation might be to launch a Six Sigma project to reduce the lead time of resolving IT issues. Systems thinking, however, would suggest understanding where and why the issues arise in the first place and the interrelationships that exist in the system. In the example, the manufacturing firm employees have spent most of their professional lives in factory shop floors, and do not have even the basic computer skills needed to solve minor issues. That lack of skills leads to a higher volume of requests received by the IT help desk. Therefore, it takes longer for the IT technicians to resolve issues. Using systems thinking, the solution for this problem is providing training for employees to improve their basic computer skills. Simply reducing the response time of the IT help desk may discourage the employees from acquiring those basic computer skills and becoming self-sufficient. That is an example of the destructive effect of improving a process or resolving issues in isolation. How it is used as a tool for problem solving: System thinking is a powerful set of problem solving tools and techniques based on system analysis and design, explained by Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline, that helps us avoid unintended consequences and find optimal solutions to complex problems. Systems thinking offers an incredible set of problem solving tools and techniques to help us understand and optimize areas suffering due to complex problems. “The problems cannot be solved using the same level of thinking that created them.” What was needed in those situations was a different way of thinking. So the challenge has always been what the right way of thinking is. Have you ever had a situation or issue that you wanted to improve, but, no matter what you tried, it just persisted? Or perhaps it not only persisted, but it seemed to continue to get worse despite your best-intentioned approaches? In such cases, taking a Systems Thinking approach may help you break through and find more effective, more sustainable solutions. Using Systems Thinking to Meet Four Challenges of Change