Characteristics

• Many relationships, patterns, priorities, and events
• Experts and experiments needed to determine cause and effect
• Known unknowns
• Some difference of opinion about the problem
• Past solutions only apply to parts of the problem
• Many different approaches to the problem exist
• Disagreement about system boundaries
• The situation has dynamic elements
• Stakeholders can influence the system

Standard work

• Use modeling and prototyping
• Use systems engineering
• Use operations management
• Use project management
• Favor decisions that enable action and address problems at an operational level
• Favor decisions that identify accountability for future decisions.
• Minimize exceptions and fine print

Warning signs

• Feedback conflicts with design assumptions and decisions
• Failures in planning, execution, or control
• A shift in environment or priorities
• Known or unknown risks/disruptions occur
• Areas of exponential growth
• Dependence on common/shared resources
• Absence of open information flows
• Rapid growth of metawork and overheads
• Heavy, detailed planning when uncertainty is still high

Proactive work

• Create and maintain safety margins and reserves
• Perform large-scale innovation early in development
• Make difficult stop, start, and continue decisions
• Build robust monitoring and feedback mechanisms
• Align local actions with global goals
• Invest resources into research and development