System Models 

Systems

A system can be understood as a set of interconnected parts that work together, while a model is a simplified representation of that system used to analyze how it functions.  Here are a few examples:

Scientific systems - click here for more information on modeling in science.

Economic system – producers, consumers, markets, money, and government policies interacting to allocate resources.

Political system – governments, institutions, laws, and citizens working together to govern society.

Education system – schools, teachers, students, curricula, assessments, and policy structures shaping learning.

Music system – composers, performers, notation, instruments, audiences, and cultural context interacting to create and share music.

Technology system – hardware, software, users, and infrastructure working together to perform tasks and solve problems.

Information system – data, hardware, software, processes, and users interacting to store, process, and communicate information.

Business organization system – management, employees, resources, goals, and workflows interacting to achieve objectives.

Healthcare system – patients, professionals, facilities, technology, funding, and policies working together to deliver care.

Models

A system model is a simplified representation of a system that shows its key components, their interactions, and sometimes the flows of information, energy, or resources between them. System models are used to explain how a system works, to predict how it might respond to change, and to support decision-making. They may be conceptual (diagrams or frameworks), mathematical, or computational, depending on the field.

Examples of system models in different fields

Scientific system models

1. Economic system

   • System model: Supply-and-demand model or circular flow model.

   • Description: Shows the interactions between households, firms, government, and markets, illustrating how goods, services, and money circulate within an economy.

2. Political system

   • System model: Input–output political model.

   • Description: Represents how public demands and support (inputs) are processed by political institutions to produce policies and laws (outputs), with feedback from society.

3. Education system

   • System model: Input–process–output model.

   • Description: Inputs such as students, teachers, and resources are transformed through teaching and learning processes into outcomes like knowledge, skills, and qualifications.

4. Music system

   • System model: Music production and distribution model.

   • Description: Shows the interactions between composers, performers, recording technology, publishers, platforms, and audiences in creating and sharing music.

5. Technology system

   • System model: Technology life-cycle or socio-technical system model.

   • Description: Represents how hardware, software, users, maintenance, and social context interact over stages such as development, use, and obsolescence.

6. Information system

   • System model: Information processing model.

   • Description: Illustrates how data is collected (input), processed, stored, and output as useful information, with feedback loops for correction and updating.

7. Business organization system

   • System model: Organizational systems model.

   • Description: Shows departments, management, resources, and workflows as interconnected components working toward organizational goals, often using flowcharts or systems maps.

8. Healthcare system

   • System model: Patient-care pathway model.

   • Description: Maps the flow of patients through services such as diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, showing interactions between professionals, facilities, and resources.