sysk-systems-analysis

name	sysk - Systems Analysis
description	Analyze any system by mapping components, connections, feedback loops, leverage points, and emergent behaviors.
output	{"format":"prose"}

SYSK - Systems Analysis

Input: $ARGUMENTS

---

Step 1: Identify Components

SYSTEM: [name or description of the system]
BOUNDARY: [what's inside vs outside the system]

COMPONENTS:
  1. [component] — ROLE: [what it does in the system]
  2. [component] — ROLE: [function]
  3. [component] — ROLE: [function]
  ...

Be explicit about the system boundary. Everything outside the boundary is environment. Everything inside is what you're analyzing.

---

Step 2: Map Connections

For each significant connection between components:

CONNECTION: [component A] → [component B]
  TYPE: [information | material | energy | influence | dependency]
  DIRECTION: [one-way | bidirectional]
  STRENGTH: [strong | moderate | weak]
  WHAT FLOWS: [what specifically moves along this connection]

Draw the full connection map. Components without connections to anything else are either misidentified or the connection is hidden.

---

Step 3: Find Feedback Loops

REINFORCING LOOP (more produces more):
  [A] increases → [B] increases → [C] increases → [A] increases
  EFFECT: [what this loop amplifies — growth or decline]
  SPEED: [fast | slow | variable]

BALANCING LOOP (maintains equilibrium):
  [A] increases → [B] increases → [A] decreases
  EFFECT: [what this loop stabilizes]
  SET POINT: [what level it maintains, if identifiable]

Every stable system has at least one balancing loop. Every growing or collapsing system has a dominant reinforcing loop.

---

Step 4: Identify Leverage Points

Ranked from least to most powerful:

LEVERAGE POINTS:
  1. [point] — TYPE: [parameter | buffer | flow | rule | goal | paradigm]
     EFFECT OF CHANGE: [what happens if you intervene here]
     EFFORT REQUIRED: [low | medium | high]
     IMPACT EXPECTED: [low | medium | high]
  2. [point] — TYPE: [...]
     EFFECT OF CHANGE: [...]

The best leverage points produce large effects with small inputs. They are often counterintuitive — not where most people would intervene.

---

Step 5: Assess Stability

STABILITY ASSESSMENT:
  CURRENT STATE: [stable | unstable | oscillating | transitioning]
  RESILIENCE: [high | medium | low] — can it absorb shocks and return to function?
  ADAPTABILITY: [high | medium | low] — can it change in response to new conditions?
  KEY VULNERABILITIES: [what could break the system]
  SINGLE POINTS OF FAILURE: [components whose removal collapses the system]

---

Step 6: Find Bottlenecks

BOTTLENECK: [component or connection that constrains the whole system]
  EVIDENCE: [how you know this is the constraint]
  CURRENT THROUGHPUT: [what it handles now]
  SYSTEM DEMAND: [what the rest of the system needs from it]
  GAP: [difference between throughput and demand]
  RELIEF OPTIONS: [how to widen the bottleneck]

A system's overall performance is limited by its tightest bottleneck. Optimizing non-bottleneck components wastes effort.

---

Step 7: Identify Emergent Behaviors

EMERGENT BEHAVIOR: [behavior that arises from interactions, not from any single component]
  PRODUCED BY: [which interactions create this]
  PREDICTABLE: [yes | no | partially]
  DESIRABLE: [yes | no | mixed]
  CONTROL MECHANISM: [how to amplify or dampen this behavior]

Emergence is the whole point of systems analysis. If you could understand the system by looking at parts individually, you wouldn't need this skill.

---

Output Summary

SYSTEM MAP
==========
SYSTEM: [name]
COMPONENTS: [count] identified
KEY CONNECTIONS: [most important flows]
FEEDBACK LOOPS: [reinforcing and balancing]
LEVERAGE POINTS: [top 2-3 intervention points]
BOTTLENECKS: [primary constraints]
EMERGENT BEHAVIORS: [what the system produces that parts don't]
STABILITY: [assessment]
RECOMMENDATION: [where to intervene and why]

---

Failure Modes

Failure	Signal	Fix
Too many components	List exceeds 15 items	Aggregate into subsystems
Missing feedback loops	Only linear chains found	Every stable system has loops — look harder
Ignoring delays	Assuming instant cause-effect	Add time delays to connections
Boundary confusion	Analyzing things outside the system	Redefine the boundary explicitly
Static snapshot	No sense of how the system changes over time	Add temporal dimension to each loop

---

Integration

• Use with: /rlsk to analyze relationship dynamics within the system
• Use with: /cmplx when the system resists simple decomposition
• Use with: /gflr to find missing components in the system
• Use from: /diagnose when the problem is systemic, not isolated
• Differs from /rlsk: sysk maps structural dynamics; rlsk focuses on interpersonal needs