AbstractWood truss assemblies are widely used in light frame construction all over the world. Although the volume of literature on single trusses and joints is relatively huge, the system behaviour of truss assemblies has received only limited attention. The main approach to take into account the system behaviour of an assembly is to use a system factor in the design of single trusses. However, technical advances now make it possible to analyse and design these complex assemblies as systems using three‐dimensional structural analysis programs, thereby including the system effect directly. This paper presents an overview of previous research on system behaviour of truss assemblies and recommends a system design approach to designing truss assemblies.