Business dynamics
by John Sterman · first published 2000
69% recommend31% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Introduces systems thinking through practical modeling of feedback and dynamics in organizations. It offers an all-round introduction to both theory and practice, readable for engineers and managers alike.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
CD-ROM contains: Simulation software and Models including ithink,Powersim, and Vensim.
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I find the visibly distinct split in recommendations to be fascinating. Of the books I've read, Sterman's Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World is the best all-round introduction to both the theory and practice of systems thinking. There are a lot of books and as a family of related fields,…
on “Ask HN: Any recommended resources to develop system thinking?” ↗…more or less certain. The urn "locks" into a particular path. While in theory it could return to 50:50 or swing back to the other colour, the odds of doing so rapidly become astronomical. John Sterman's Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World has a really excellent discussion. Worth looking for.
on “Software Development as an Emergent System” ↗If you read one book, make it Sterman's Business Dynamics, which hits the sweet spot between systems-as-woo and systems-as-calculus-homework. The original hardback is out of print and very expensive, but there are cheap international editions available now.
on “Systems Thinking in Practice (2016)” ↗…only during initial hypothesis formation. You need a stock-and-flow model to actually test and elaborate your hypothesis. The best all-round introductory book I have read in this area is still Sterman's Business Dynamics. 1st edition hardbacks are out of print, but there are second-hand copies and also cheap international editions around. A 2nd edition is expected next year.
on “Beer distribution game” ↗I've found Business Dynamics by Sterman to be the best all-round System Dynamics book in my collection (I have three of the above, excluding Weinberg's). Meadows is interesting and a quick read, but shallow. Morecroft is a thorough…
on “Stock and Flow (2010)” ↗Have you come across Business Dynamics by John Sterman? It's essentially Meadows approach applied to the business environment, including thinking about general organizational structure.
on “A Lifetime of Systems Thinking” ↗…and organizational structures themselves. If you only apply things like the ideas of Extreme Programming to your programs, you're only doing half (actually less) of what Agile aims for. Sterman in his Business Dynamics book has a nice set of diagrams starting on page 15, talking about feedback loops/systems for learning. Attempting to draw them as ASCII art, not that skilled at this: Simplest feedback model:…
on “Ask HN: Is there a way to get Agile right?” ↗…matter where it's located. Apple products are "made in china" because of various reasons -- comparative advantage, business cluster etc. I'd highly recommend a good reading of systems dynamics (and business dynamics) for those looking for more info. For those interested, two recommended books: * "Clock Speed" by Charles Fine (MIT) * "Business Dynamics" by John Sterman (also of MIT, and a great professor): http://goo.gl/K4OG…
on “The Beer Game -or- Why Apple Can’t Build iPads in the US” ↗I really enjoyed "Business Dynamics: Thinking and Modelling for a Complex World" by John Sterman. It's an older book, but it answers all of the questions that you ask. The book starts out by giving a high level overview of how systems modelling…
on “A Lifetime of Systems Thinking” ↗If you can only read one book, get Sterman's Business Dynamics. The original hardback is out of print and so new ones are hideously expensive, but there are affordable second-hand copies and cheap "international" editions have popped up lately.
on “How to Understand Systems” ↗…of the "continuous process improvement" camp. It is a set of principles, values, and practices which should be examined, in addition to the work being produced, and improved over time. Sterman's book Business Dynamics has a great diagram that I think is relevant (I saw it there, but it's probably in other books on system dynamics and related fields). I'll attempt to ascii art it here: Mental model -> Strategy/Structure/Decision…
on “AgileFall – When Waterfall Sneaks Back into Agile” ↗…warming up to... Factory Physics by Hopp and Spearman. Magisterial in scope, also magisterial in grumpiness and idiosyncracy. I've directly applied material from this book and Matching to research work. Business Dynamics by Sterman. Still the best system dynamics book I've ever read. I'm anxiously waiting for the 2nd edition, expected circa 2021. Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems: Queueing Theory in…
on “Observations on Observability” ↗…of stocks and flows, but the essential structure is the same and can be reduced to equations. It's mostly calculus, sometimes there's some linear algebra. The best book in my view is still Sterman's Business Dynamics, which is much broader in scope than the title suggests (it's a play on earlier book titles). There will hopefully be a second edition in the next year or two. Edit: I should note however that when I…
on “Systems design explains the world: volume 1” ↗…Systems_. John Gall's _Systemantics_ is a classic, but it's a bit cranky. Related: John Boardman, _Systems Thinking_. Gerald Weinberg, _An Introduction to General Systems Thinking_ John Sterman, _Business Dynamics_.
on “Why reporting bugs to Apple may harm software quality” ↗Try Business Dynamics by John Sterman. I lent my copy to my brother over a decade ago. Still haven't got it back... Also Exploring Requirements: Quality Before Design by Donald Gause and Gerald Weinberg. Really useful advice…
on “How to Safely Think in Systems” ↗