A systems approach maintains a perspective in which the overall effectiveness and efficiency in achieving objectives depends on identification, understanding, and management of interrelated processes as a collective system. A system is a construct or collection of different elements that together produce results not obtainable by the elements alone. The elements, or parts, can include people, hardware, software, facilities, policies or documents; that is, all things required to produce systems-level results. The value added by the system, is primarily created by the relationship among the parts; that is, how they are interconnected. The components of a system are the input, process or throughput, output and feedback. In medical education the medical student is the input. The learning environment, resources, teaching and assessment methods make up the process. The graduate who matches the standard norms of the health needs of the society is the output. Systems approach is a way of managing problems considering the system as a whole, not of a particular part. The characteristics of a system are effectiveness, efficiency, dependability, flexibility and acceptability. The steps in curricular design can be likened to the steps in a systems management. Therefore a systems approach to medical education is the key to quality assurance in health care.