REPLY Models, Problems and Systems (SD7008)

[SDMAIL j-d]

Posted by  j-d <jaideep at optimlator.com>

I think modeling a system is fine - it can be a small abstract model
or a large, detailed model of the system. The exercise of modeling the
system can in itself shed light on some problems and/or help
understand things better.

I think the mantra of "modeling the problem, not the system" may have
come out of consultancy experience in which groups of people would
lose sight of the problem they were trying to solve and keep on adding
to the model, irrespective of whether the additions led to more
understanding or any solutions to the problem. I have seen it myself
when the models become lop-sided because of group-think and
loud-mouthed screamers. In such a case, the facilitator may rope the
herd by insisting on modeling the problem, not the whole system.

Other than that I see nothing wrong with modeling a system if one has
the time and money (more a luxury in academia than in business);
mathematics, physics and economics are full of such examples. Problems
may start or motivate the modeling process, but they don't have to -
why did the apple hit my head (gravity - Newton); what will I see if I
am in an elevator traveling at the speed of light (Special Theory of
Relativity - Einstein); what if we had more than three dimensions
(vector algebra - don't know who invented this).

Best regards

Jaideep Mukhejee, Ph. D.
Posted by  j-d <jaideep at optimlator.com>
posting date  Thu, 8 May 2008 15:09:46 -0500