By Christian Setzwein February 26, 2025
“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.”
John Gall in his book The Systems Bible: How systems work and especially how they fail, 1975
In other words:
If you want to build a complex system that works, first build a simpler system and then improve it.
What is important
- Complex systems like the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg or a car factory can still be built
- They have to be put together piece by piece from known standard components
- The complex interfaces between the components must be created, tested and adapted piece by piece
- Fast iterations are an essential strategy to quickly move from a simple system to a complex one
- The use of testing/feedback is an essential strategy to ensure the functionality of the emerging system at all times
Questions for you
- Do you want to build a new complex system?
- How can you start with a system that is as small as possible and still works?
- How can you incorporate as much feedback and as short iteration times as possible during development?
- What are your critical assumptions that need to be checked repeatedly as the system is developed?
Further reading
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