ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS USING SYTEMS THINKING
Systems thinking is concerned with understanding or intervening in problem situations, based on the principles and concepts of the systems paradigm (INCOSE SE Body of Knowledge).
Systems are everywhere! A system is defined as a combination of interacting elements organized to achieve one or more stated purposes. (INCOSE,2023). When we think about it, everything is a system. In fact, our body is one of the most complex systems in the world, made up of at least 11 subsystems. These systems include the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, endocrine, and reproductive systems. All of these parts work together to perform specific functions and support life. Our world is filled with systems and the family unit is absolutely one them.
Every system has a lifecycle. There are several internal and external factors that directly relate to the duration of the lifecycle. Internal factors may include the way the system was designed, the integrity of the parts, the effective communication between the different parts that need to work together in order to fulfill a common purpose. Examples of external factors include the environment that system is in, the guidelines, policies and standards that govern the system, and how that system is managed and maintained. Systems include manuals. Some of us throw these manuals to the side and never reference them. However, these supporting documents define each part of the system and provide detailed instructions on how to properly use the system. Lack of following the guidance provided in the manual, will lead to the misuse of the system, defects which cost additional time and money to fix and in the worst case, the system will stop working completely.
There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. Proverbs 14:12
The family unit is a system. Like any system, we can break it down into different entities and define the relationship between those entities. Similar to the human body, each entity is unique and has attributes and specific functions. Those entities combine each of their functions together through multiple interactions to fulfill the overall purpose for that system. Visually, you may have a family unit that looks similar to this.
Figure I. Example of Family Unit
Notice, there are individual parts of this system, and each of those individual parts have their own function, their own attributes and defined relationships with other entities. Family units are complex because of the personality traits, psychological factors and other dynamics. Over time, communication patterns and behaviors through multiple events and scenarios in life can either build those relationship connections or destroy them, impacting the entire system.
Figure II. Example of a Healthy Family Unit
Jesus is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the center of our lives, and everything revolves around Him. Colossians 1:17
THAT WON’T BE MY FAMILY
Growing up I wasn’t the girl who dreamed of her wedding day and what type of dress I would wear. Not to say there is anything wrong with that, but I just knew I desired a family. I was not specific about what that looked like. To be honest, I babysat quite a bit and not sure I even considered having kids of my own but I was open to the idea of adopting or caring for other children over summer breaks and holidays. I recognized early that family units were uniquely different, yet there were some things that were foundational like support, love and sense of belonging. The Family Unit is extremely important. Which is why there is are so many attacks targeting our families. As of 2024, the US divorce rate is between 40-50% for first time marriages (Modern Family Law, 2025). The family unit is a very complex system and there is a whole psychological component that adds to that level of complexity and can cause dysfunction. You may be able to relate, I saw some of these dysfunctional patterns growing up and took mental notes to ensure “That won’t be MY family”.
I’m currently towards the end of a difficult divorce process and been doing quite a bit of reflecting. In addition to eating my own words and personal vow “That won’t be MY family”, in still moments I find myself posed with questions like “Why was I not good enough?”, “Why did this happen?”, “How was I the one who broke my children’s hearts which I’ve prided myself in protecting from the day I knew their little hearts were beating inside of me?”, “How did I fail?”, “Why was I rejected?” Coming to terms with “That is my Family” and “What Now” is a very humbling experience but I have found that with God and a supportive community the healing journey has been so fulfilling. Allowing God to not only restore me but also heal some of the deeply hurt places. Root cause analysis using systems thinking helped me as well.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28
FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS
“Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” Psalms 127:1
Healthy family units come in various different constructs. I’m still learning, but what I’ve observed during my healing journey is that the difference is that a healthy unit identifies that God is the foundation and strives to make him central to every decision, interaction and thought. We hear this all the time but visually seeing it through this system thinking approach shown in Figure II. really resonates with me. Some other key observations I’ve found in my own personal assessment include the following:
God is the power source.
It is important to reflect and create an environment that encourages open honest feedback and communication to improve.
Where able to, restore broken relationships. However, acknowledge that restoration is not always possible.
Forgiveness is a personal choice and is always possible.
Understand that each entity is unique and has a purpose and should be treated that way.
Each entity has a unique function that must be understood and supported.
There is nothing wrong with seeking additional help before the damage to the relationship has a significant negative impact.
Just like legacy systems, sometimes things just don’t work at all or as well and the system needs to be redesigned, certain elements removed or added. We have to be flexible and agile.
“Rejection will make you lose yourself out of fear of losing someone else.” – Nona Jones
Each entity in the family unit understanding their own personal attributes and purpose is extremely important to ensure the relationship is healthy. In model based systems engineering, we rely on ontologies and conceptual data models (Vaneman, 2025) because it’s important that the terminology and taxonomy is easily understood within the modeling environment. This ontology approach applies to the family unit as well because it helps to identify everyone’s purpose in the family, their unique attributes, the relationships between each part of the unit. It also helps to reveal the roles defined and how the unit is organized. In physical and software systems, we focus on conceptual data models to promote successful flow of information throughout the system by concentrating on data nodes and the transfer of data. I would present that communication nodes within the family are important and we are actually sharing data between one another all the time based on our words and actions. The same notion is true for the family unit, which is why it’s essential for God himself to be at the center. If his heart and character are at the center of our interactions and our intensions, it will help us effectively communicate better with one another and build these complex relationships. Similar to a conceptual data model, his Word is a helpful guide to ensure that our communication flows freely throughout the system. Applying this system thinking approach to conduct a root cause analysis, I have been able to give myself and others grace because I understand the “why” because of the revelation that occurred when I “see” it.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
I remember having my first child and there were guide books and others that offered advice but there really isn’t “one way” to do it. As a mother, I found myself mirroring things I saw that I liked and hoping that I was doing a good job. The truth is that some of those things I mirrored thank God were Christ like while others were not. Our families are the same. The world is so loud and we are bombarded with so much information that we find may find ourselves thinking we are doing the right thing in how we lead in our families, when truthfully, we need to take a moment and reflect to ensure that the decisions we make the interactions that we have and our words and actions are not based on our own personal selfish desires or the world’s view on things.
As a teacher, I encourage my students to try. I purposely create an environment where it’s safe for them to fail and learn from those failures and still successfully complete the course. This takes effort. This also relates to relationships in families. Maybe it’s trying to restore a relationship or having the courage to build another relationship. However, God is leading you, be brave and jump in. It’s okay to try again. Take the lessons learned. Dust yourself off and believe that you will succeed because if He told you to do it, He is faithful and will always provide. Let’s strive to continue to fight the good fight! Fight past the hurt. Fight past the doubt and fear.
“Failure is not the end. It is a necessary part of the path. Hope will always survive in those who continue to fight.” -Eno Cordova
LESSONS LEARNED
The systems thinking process can be used to help uncover the root issues in family units by taking a holistic approach, focusing on the entire system instead of focusing solely on only specific parts. Once the conceptual system architecture is revealed, reflecting and going through several scenarios help identifies issues and provide revelation and highlight lessons to learn.
If one of the links to God are broken, the consequences will causally cascade throughout most of the structure. If the link between anyone and God is betrayed, then it is easy to see how the link between that person and any other family member is betrayed. For example, in Figure II, if the link/relationship between God and the Mom are broken it directly effects the relationship between her and everyone else. We must acknowledge that there are different levels and classifications of brokenness. Notice that the relationship arrow between the Mom and God are bi-directional. We know that God is consistent in his love for us and his character, but let’s say that the woman’s perception of how God loves her is damaged. Physically you may see low confidence or over confidence, frustration and/or anger. As life starts to throw things at her and her family you may also see her start to trust in her own abilities to protect herself and her family which leads to more controlling and prideful attributes that she originally did not possess. Since she is never going to always get the validation she needs from her kids and husband and she is not getting it from God because she has become her own “little God” she will likely operate in ways seeking validation from others and in some cases when that’s not enough will find herself praising and validating herself leading to arrogance, another attribute that she was never intended to have. These new attributes and behaviors directly impact how she communicates (verbally and physically) and perceives information from the members in her family unit. Now when she doesn’t get the praise or adoration wanted from her children or husband she feels unappreciated and “little God” comes in to make up for that by taking matters into her own hands again. Overtime, if not corrected the line that shows the strong relationship bond between the mom and everyone in the family unit begins to break because they are intrinsically tied together.
The family unit is a very complex system and we are just focusing on one relationship with God being misaligned and we know that we are all broken vessels. The example provided above is just walking through a scenario with the mom but this same concept applies to the husband’s personal relationship with God and the children’s personal relationships with God. God gives us free will, meaning we always have a choice in our actions, how we think and what we say. God loves us so much and gives us so much grace but those choices sometimes come with consequences, some are heavier than others. Who can fix these types of complex issues? The good news is God absolutely is the only one who can not only tackle these issues but can make something beautiful out of it. It may not look like how we imagine or want but we must let him lead us and trust him in the process.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Isaiah 55:8-9
References
[1] INCOSE, SYSTEMS ENGINEERING HANDBOOK A Guide for System Life Cycle Processes and Activities, 5th ed. Wiley, 2023.
[2] J. Stolzenberg, “Top 10 divorce statistics you need to know,” Modern Family Law, https://www.modernfamilylaw.com/resources/top-10-divorce-statistics-you-need-to-know/ (accessed Nov. 20, 2025).
[3] N. Jones, The Gift of Rejection: Harness Your Pain to Propel Your Purpose. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024.
[4] SEBoK, “Guide to the systems engineering body of knowledge (SEBOK),” SEBoK, https://www.sebokwiki.org/ (accessed Nov. 20, 2025).
[5] The Holy Bible. New Living Translation. Bible App by You Version, 2025.
[6] W. Vaneman, Model-Based Systems Engineering De-Mystified, https://www.lifecyclemodeling.org/hubfs/MBSE%20De-Mystified%20-21%20January%202025.pdf?hsLang=en (accessed Nov. 19, 2025).
Author
Corina White
Deeply Loved, Forgiven and Chosen by God
Lecturer, Systems Engineering
Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP)
