In the systems approach 2.0, all project roles somehow affecting the system or people in certain roles, who may be affected by the system, are recognized as interested. The systems’ boundaries, function and structure depend on this interaction of the system and the project roles.
This is why discussion of a system starts not with its inner structure, but with understanding of the system’s environment. That is - what supra system this system fits in, who needs it, and what these interested parties need, what problems they have, and what requirements to the system they put forward. It results in an important systems principle: always look outside a system first, and only then look into it.
For example, in classical approach to a “chronometer” system, a person would start looking into the system properties and turn his or her attention into the system, i.e. discuss what it consists of. In the modern approach, one should start looking outside the system, i.e. identify a supra system the chronometer belongs to, who needs them, and how it is used.
After such a review, one starts understanding if the chronometer is a wrist watch, a cuckoo clock or a tower clock. Mechanisms of all those chronometers will be different; and without making a list and understanding the interests of the concerned parties, it is impossible to discuss the system structure.
Thus, in the systems approach 2.0, a system does not only have the properties of integrity, emergence and nesting, but their important property is dependence of the systems on interested parties (or project roles). A system’s success depends upon satisfaction of the project roles’ interests; this is why we start analysis from the environment: first, we look outside the system, and only after that - into the system.