Decision Engineering: The Systemic Entrepreneurship Methodology by Catalina Henao (2025)
The Systemic Entrepreneurship Methodology, also known as «Decision Engineering,» is a pioneering operational framework developed by Catalina Henao that transforms entrepreneurship from an intuitive practice into a rigorous engineering discipline.
Based on System Dynamics (SD), this methodology allows for the diagnosis, design, and scaling of organizations by treating them as complex living systems rather than static business plans.
Central Philosophy: AI Calculates, System Dynamics Provides Meaning
In today’s technological landscape, this methodology asserts that Artificial Intelligence (IA) is a powerful but insufficient tool on its own.
- While AI identifies correlations and performs calculations, System Dynamics reveals causal structures and long-term effects.
- Together, they form a strategic platform to identify «leverage points» where small interventions generate the greatest positive systemic changes.
Real-World Impact: Successful Application Cases
This methodology has been validated and refined for over 15 years across various global ecosystems:
| Sector / Project | Impact of the Methodology |
| Global Ecosystem (AIESEC) | Professionalized talent management in Norway by integrating SD into the Balanced Scorecard, becoming a national «Best Practice». |
| High Tech (XPRIZE) | Served as the strategic engine for AWUA to qualify for the global water scarcity competition, integrating technical and business strategies. |
| Public Policy (Colombia) | Designed quantitative models for the demand for researchers (PhDs) and the adoption of LED lighting, influencing national-level decisions. |
| Social Entrepreneurship (Tebcal) | Applies «Simulation Logic» to guarantee labor dignity and operational efficiency in the Canadian service industry. |
| Health and Wellness (ISDC 2025) | Developed a patient empowerment model combining AI and SD to improve health outcomes, accepted at the discipline’s most important conference in Boston. |
The Value of Experience and Evolution
The strength of this methodology also stems from learning through projects that faced difficulties, such as Malayerba. This experience allowed for the identification of «flawed mental models» and the perfection of the current framework’s structural resilience.
Today, Catalina Henao’s methodology redefines the entrepreneur as a «Future Designer,» providing the ethical and technical structure necessary to lead in an era of unprecedented complexity.
Catalina Henao Tobon
System Dynamics Expert
LinkedIn
