---
title: "Is it a system or a bunch of stuff"
description: "A four-part test for whether you are looking at a system."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/thinking-in-systems/is-it-a-system-or-a-bunch-of-stuff/
updated: 2026-11-03
---

# Is it a system or a bunch of stuff

> A four-part test for whether you are looking at a system.

Donella Meadows's framework, from Thinking in Systems, pp. 23 to 92.

Framework 1 of 7 from [Thinking in Systems](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/thinking-in-systems/index.md) by Donella Meadows. Category: Systems and operations.

## The steps

1. **Can you identify parts?.** Name the elements.
2. **Do the parts affect each other?.** Look for interconnections.
3. **Do the parts together produce an effect different from each part alone?.** Test for emergent behaviour.
4. **Does the behaviour persist in a variety of circumstances?.** Check that the pattern lasts.

## Where it comes from

From chapter: Part One: System Structure and Behavior, pp. 23–92

## The animation

24 seconds, 4:5, no sound.

- MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/thinking-in-systems/is-it-a-system-or-a-bunch-of-stuff.mp4
- MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/thinking-in-systems/is-it-a-system-or-a-bunch-of-stuff-dark.mp4
- Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/thinking-in-systems/is-it-a-system-or-a-bunch-of-stuff.png
- Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/thinking-in-systems/is-it-a-system-or-a-bunch-of-stuff-dark.png