Systems Thinking Field Study — Lập Thành Net Manufacturing Co.

The problem: when theory needs to be tested against a real business

As required by the course, the team conducted an on-site survey of an actual manufacturing business to apply Systems Thinking to analyze its operations. The team chose Lập Thành Net Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Cà Mau, which produces trawl nets for the fishing industry. This wasn’t a simulated exercise — the team physically visited the business, interviewed the owner, observed the entire production line, and gathered real data for analysis.

The business was facing multiple operational challenges: limited working conditions for workers, a shortage of skilled labor, production processes still heavily dependent on manual work, products lacking clear market differentiation, and the environmental challenges that come with plastic production. These factors were tightly interconnected, creating cascading effects on production efficiency and competitiveness — exactly the kind of problem suited to systems thinking rather than viewing each issue in isolation.

Role: Team Leader, from planning the survey to analyzing the system

As Team Leader, involved from the survey planning stage through to completing the project:

• Planned the research and field survey
• Brainstormed the interview question set before visiting the business
• Personally interviewed the business owner
• Observed and documented the real production process, recording video and photos throughout the survey
• Analyzed the company’s history, scale, and structure
• Analyzed the components, relationships, and operating processes
• Built the Systems Thinking and Feedback Loop models
• Analyzed obstacles, root causes, and the dynamic behavior of the system
• Evaluated and prioritized the issues and proposed solutions
• Wrote most of the report content, formatted the documentation, and designed the presentation slides

The process: from field observation to system modeling

The research method followed genuine Systems Thinking principles — not just collecting information, but understanding the dynamic relationships between factors:

1. Identify a business suitable for the scope of the course
2. Brainstorm and build the interview question set
3. Conduct the on-site survey and interview the business owner
4. Observe the entire production line from raw material intake, spinning, net weaving, quality inspection, to final packaging
5. Record real data and images
6. Analyze the system using Systems Thinking, building Reinforcing Loop, Balancing Loop, Limit of Growth, and Shifting the Burden models
7. Identify and prioritize the core issues
8. Propose improvement solutions and consult experts to assess feasibility

Results

• Completed the on-site survey and modeled the entire trawl net production system
• Identified the main issue groups related to people, process, market, and environment
• Analyzed the relationships between issues using Feedback Loops
• Proposed several improvements for working conditions, production processes, product development, and business sustainability
• Conducted a preliminary feasibility assessment of each solution through expert consultation

What I’m proudest of

This was one of the projects invested in the most throughout the entire degree. What’s most memorable isn’t finishing the report — it’s the first time being able to directly survey a real manufacturing business, observing the entire production line from raw material to finished product. That experience showed how a seemingly small problem, like a shortage of experienced workers or inadequate working conditions, can ripple through and affect the entire production system. It was also the first time truly understanding the real value of systems thinking in analyzing a business, rather than just looking at problems in isolation.

The biggest takeaway

The project taught how to prepare for and conduct a business field survey, stakeholder interview skills for gathering information, and how to observe and model a real business process. More importantly, this was the first hands-on practice with root cause analysis instead of just treating symptoms — and it clarified the relationship between people, process, technology, and environment within a production system. The Team Leader role also built skills in dividing work and synthesizing research findings from multiple sources.

Limitations

The on-site survey only lasted one day, so it wasn’t possible to observe how the system changed over time. Some internal business data couldn’t be accessed due to confidentiality. The proposed solutions remained at the proposal and preliminary assessment stage, without the opportunity for actual implementation.

If I did it again

• Design a semi-structured interview question set to gather deeper insights
• Collect more quantitative data such as productivity, cycle time, defect rate, and operating costs
• Model the process using BPMN or Value Stream Mapping
• Combine data analysis with field observation to quantify the issues rather than relying only on qualitative analysis
• Build a visual dashboard to help the business track key operational metrics
• Follow up with the business at multiple points in time to assess the impact of solutions after implementation