How could one possibly succeed in design, doing one thing at a time, since a complex whole is a unitary undivided whole which cannot be separated into parts?

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• Successful group consensus on complex design is achieved not by choosing among alternatives but by resolving a long sequence of very small, particular questions one at a time in the right orderclaim0.799
  Alexander's solution to the 'elephant designed by a committee' problem.
• If construction is organized around creating complete wholes by integrated teams, the building will achieve more life than with fragmented trades.hypothesis0.789
  Testable prediction from the integrated wholes argument.
• A whole makes its parts, rather than the idea that a whole consists of parts.claim0.787
  Alexander's foundational assertion inverting conventional understanding of composition; central to understanding centers and the Fifteen Properties.
• A complex object will only be successful if it is generated.claim0.783
  Generalization from organisms to software and buildings; used to argue against mere assembly.
• In modern architecture, neither design nor construction typically works step by step; instead there is a fixed end-state produced without realistic feedback.claim0.779
  Contrast between living process and current architectural practice.
• Complex, generated structure cannot be arrived at in any other way.quote0.775
  Concise statement that underscores the necessity of the generated process for real complexity.
• Composition is non-trivial, i.e. a whole cannot be decomposed meaningfully.claim0.775
  Defining property of Schrödinger compositional theory
• To be whole, a building must be 'lost' in its surroundings—not separate, but part and parcel of them.claim0.775
  Defines the paradoxical quality of a living whole in architecture.