When sam describes modeling the inputs and outputs of an is and understanding how they relate to other systems, she is describing?

I believe she is describing systems thinking

systems thinking refers to a type of management discipline that examine and analyze every interractions of components that exist within a system.

This will allow sam to fully understand every corner of the system and leverage it to produce the most efficient performance.

A system that has input and output, and interacts with other systems, is open. The opposite of this schema is a closed system, which has no outside interactions. An example would be studying a fish in a bowl (closed) versus the ocean (open).