Further Model Types and their uses

Rich Pictures

• Often first stage in design process
• Free format diagram to capture system
• Identifies politics, processes, emotions
• Theme places in middle, link words placed around it

Systems Dynamics

• Show states and rates for given situation
• Example: human population and rate of increase/decrease
• Other states can be modelled against human population such as food consumption, food production, water consumption
• Allows point of intervention to be identified & modelled, i.e. if population increases by x what increase in food production will be required
• Helps identify impact of time lags on system
• Effective in identifying feedback loops

Spreadsheets

• Commonly used for mathematical modelling
• Effective for “what if” analysis

Influence Diagram

• Illustrates influences that occur in system
• Can be used as both hard and soft model
• Can help identify hard-to-spot influences when used as soft model

Force Field

• Identifies forces driving & restraining change in situation

Conceptual Models

• Part of soft system methodology
• Model purposeful activity in system – i.e. what are logical activities of system