What is "systemography"

Systemography or SGR is a process where phenomena regarded as complex are purposefully represented as a constructed model of a general system. It maybe used in three different roles: conceptualization, analysis, and simulation. The work of Jean-Louis Le Moigne is associated with systemography.

The systemography modeling consists of building, simultaneously, the process´ operational, the informational and the decisional systemographs in modeling phase. Ettore Bresciani Filho (2001) recommends the following order in the systemography modeling:

1. Define the border of the system to be modeled, characterizing the border´s processors responsible for the system´s inputs and outputs.
2. Build the operational systemograph of the production system, disposing in a block diagram the different stages of the production process, representing each one with an operational processor.
3. Build the informational systemograph of the production system, disposing in a block diagram the different stages of the information´s generation, transformation and communication, representing each one with an informational processor.
4. Build the decisional systemograph of the production system, disposing in a block diagram the different stages of the decision´s process representing each one with decisional processors.
5. Classify the processors of the systemographs in categories, types and levels; building a comparative table of processors.
6. Identify the possible forces fields influences, such as culture and organizational climate.
7. Relate the problems in priority order, applying problem analysis techniques to identify and find solutions for each one of them.
8. Use mathematical methods for the modeling the processors as the system as a whole.
9. Propose the solution of the problems in the form of recommendations and procedures to be adopted. To systemograph consists, in a few words, in building a model, physical or mathematical, static or dynamic, analytical or numeric of a phenomenon that can be noticed as complex by the analyzer that intends to model it.

The elaboration of the operational systemographs (presenting the operations involved in the process), of the informational systemographs (where the information flow is highlighted) and of the decisional systemographs (where the decisions are shown) allows, during the activity analysis, to evaluate it and to improve it.

These systemographs allow to observe and to eliminate redundancies and cycles that are (or not) important for the process, providing its systemic visualization, identifying points to allow its rationalization, its increase of flexibility and its activation.