Systems thinking tool

Systems thinking helps you zoom out and see how everything connects—people, processes, policies, and relationships. Use this simple, step-by-step way to unpack complex challenges, work across boundaries, and design smarter, long-term solutions.

Systems thinking tool – step by step guide

Systems thinking helps you step back and see the bigger picture – how people, processes, policies, and relationships interact within a wider system. It’s especially useful when you’re tackling complex issues that span across teams, agencies, or communities and require collaboration to solve.

The below systems thinking tool by the Government Office for Science for civil servants in the UK Government, is especially useful when:

  • You're working on a problem that involves multiple stakeholders or sectors.
  • The issue is persistent or resistant to change.
  • You need to align efforts across boundaries.
  • You're looking to move from reactive fixes to proactive, long-term impact.

You can use this approach at any stage of a project or initiative—whether you're just starting to explore a challenge, reviewing progress, or adjusting your strategy. The four steps below can guide your thinking and action as you navigate complexity.

Step 1: Confirm the goal

Start by clearly identifying the issue you want to address.

  • What is the problem or opportunity?
  • Who else cares about this?
  • How does it align with your agency’s or government’s strategic priorities?
  • What is the shared outcome you want to achieve?

Step 2: Understand the system

Zoom out to see the bigger picture and the relationships within it.

  • Who are the key players? (decision makers, influencers, communities, front-line staff, partners)
  • What are the key parts of the system, i.e. people, processes, policies?
  • What is working, what’s not and why?
  • What are the barriers, gaps, or unintended consequences?
  • Put the issue at the centre.
  • Add stakeholders, policies, processes and external factors around it.
  • Use arrows to show influences and feedback loops.
  • Identify where the pressure points or leverage points might be.

Step 3: Co-design and test

Work with others to generate ideas and test what works.

  • What small changes could make a big difference?
  • How can you involve communities, partners, or other agencies?
  • What assumptions need to be tested?

Step 4: Implement, monitor and evaluate

Put your best ideas into action, but stay flexible.

  • Are the changes having the intended impact?
  • What feedback are you hearing?
  • What needs to be adjusted?
  • What lessons can you share across the system?

Learn

Check out the below link to find out more about the systems thinking tool designed by the Government Office for Science for civil servants in the UK Government.

Systems Leadership Guide: how to be a systems leader - GOV.UK

Download the Systems thinking sprint activity to apply systems thinking to a real life challenge and work through the four-step framework in a structured and reflective way.  This activity supports collaborative problem-solving and development of adaptive solutions.

Systems thinking sprint activity [DOCX, 176 KB]

Reflect

When you’re facing a complex challenge, ask yourself:

  • Who else is part of the system?
  • What is the bigger picture here?
  • How can I lead in a way that connects, not controls?

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