System context map
System context map: the house
Boundary the house contains no external entities. External entities outside every boundary: landlord. Exchanges: rent, from the house to landlord (owner: the house).
the house rent landlord boundary
System context map
External entities: landlord.
landlord
external entity
System context map: the house
Boundary the house contains no external entities. External entities outside every boundary: landlord. Exchanges: rent, from the house to landlord (owner: the house); repairs, from landlord to the house (owner: the house).
the house rent repairs landlord exchange How each mark is drawn and read: chapter 2, What the notation expresses thinking-in-diagrams.aryehnielsen.com/framing/drawing-the-boundary/#what-the-notation-expresses .
Influence map
Influence map
Variables: hours of daylight.
hours of daylight
variable
Influence map
Variables: rainy days; days cycled; rainy days; days cycled. Claims: rainy days to days cycled (influence claim); rainy days to days cycled (causal claim, −, opposite direction).
− rainy days days cycled rainy days days cycled polarity
Influence map
Variables: rainy days; days cycled. Claims: rainy days to days cycled (influence claim).
rainy days days cycled influence claim
Influence map
Variables: bus fare; rainy days; fitness; days cycled. Claims: bus fare to days cycled (influence claim, weight 1 of 3); rainy days to days cycled (influence claim, weight 2 of 3); fitness to days cycled (influence claim, weight 3 of 3).
bus fare rainy days fitness days cycled weight
Influence map: days cycled per week
Central outcome: days cycled per week. Other variables: rainy days; fitness. Claims: rainy days to days cycled per week (influence claim); fitness to days cycled per week (influence claim).
rainy days fitness days cycled per week central outcome
Influence map
Cluster weather: rainy days; hours of daylight.
weather rainy days hours of daylight cluster How each mark is drawn and read: chapter 3, What the notation expresses thinking-in-diagrams.aryehnielsen.com/framing/surfacing-influences/#what-the-notation-expresses .
Causal loop diagram
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: customers.
customers
variable
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: price; sales. Effects: price to sales (polarity not yet set).
price sales effect
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: price; sales; revenue. Effects: price to sales (−, opposite direction); sales to revenue (+, same direction).
− + price sales revenue polarity
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: orders; deliveries. Effects: orders to deliveries (+, same direction, with a delay).
+ orders deliveries delay
Causal-loop diagram: R1 practice habit
Variables: practice; skill; enjoyment. Effects: practice to skill (+, same direction); skill to enjoyment (+, same direction); enjoyment to practice (+, same direction). Loop R1 practice habit, reinforcing: practice, skill, enjoyment, and back to practice.
+ + + practice skill enjoyment R1 practice habit loop
Causal-loop diagram: R1 compounding
Variables: savings; interest. Effects: savings to interest (+, same direction); interest to savings (+, same direction). Loop R1 compounding, reinforcing: savings, interest, and back to savings.
+ + savings interest R1 compounding reinforcing loop
Causal-loop diagram: B1 warming up
Variables: room heat; heating. Effects: room heat to heating (−, opposite direction); heating to room heat (+, same direction). Loop B1 warming up, balancing: room heat, heating, and back to room heat.
− + room heat heating B1 warming up balancing loop
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: orders; stock. Effects: orders to stock (−, opposite direction). Boundary the shop contains: orders; stock.
the shop − orders stock boundary
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: weather (external driver); footfall. Effects: weather to footfall (+, same direction). Boundary the café contains: footfall. Outside every boundary: weather.
the café + ‹weather› footfall external driver
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: staffing gap; hiring. Effects: staffing gap to hiring (+, same direction).
+ staffing gap hiring gapdrawn as an ordinary variable
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: workload; mistakes. Effects: workload to mistakes (+, same direction, nonlinear).
+ workload mistakes nonlinear effect
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: training; quality. Effects: training to quality (polarity not yet set, hypothesis).
training quality evidence coding
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: reorder point (leverage point).
? ? ? ? reorder point leverage point
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: . Behavior note: oscillation.
oscillation behavior note
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: price; sales. Effects: price to sales (−, opposite direction, viewpoint: Growth).
− Growth price sales viewpoint tag How each mark is drawn and read: chapter 4, What the notation expresses thinking-in-diagrams.aryehnielsen.com/feedback/loops-that-amplify-loops-that-correct/#what-the-notation-expresses .
Stock & flow diagram
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Auxiliaries: tap opening; drain blockage. Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute); draining, from water in tub to a cloud (liters per minute). Signals: tap opening to filling, +; drain blockage to draining, −.
filling draining + − liters water in tub tap opening drain blockage polarity
Stock & flow diagram: beans in warehouse
Stocks: beans in warehouse (kilograms). Auxiliaries: beans ordered. Flows: deliveries, from a cloud to beans in warehouse (kilograms per week, with a delay). Signals: beans ordered to deliveries, +, with a delay.
deliveries + kilograms beans in warehouse beans ordered delay
Stock & flow diagram: dirty dishes; clean dishes
Stocks: dirty dishes (dishes); clean dishes (dishes). Flows: washing up, from dirty dishes to clean dishes (dishes per day). Signals: clean dishes to washing up, −. Loop B1 cupboard full, balancing: clean dishes, washing up, which fills clean dishes.
washing up − dishes dirty dishes dishes clean dishes B1 cupboard full loop
Stock & flow diagram: rabbits in warren
Stocks: rabbits in warren (rabbits). Flows: births, from a cloud to rabbits in warren (rabbits per month). Signals: rabbits in warren to births, +. Loop R1 breeding, reinforcing: rabbits in warren, births, which fills rabbits in warren.
births + rabbits rabbits in warren R1 breeding reinforcing loop
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Flows: draining, from water in tub to a cloud (liters per minute). Signals: water in tub to draining, +. Loop B1 draining down, balancing: water in tub, draining, which drains water in tub.
draining + liters water in tub B1 draining down balancing loop
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute). Boundary bathroom contains: water in tub.
bathroom filling liters water in tub boundary
Stock & flow diagram: water in barrel
Stocks: water in barrel (liters). Auxiliaries: rainfall (external driver). Flows: collecting, from a cloud to water in barrel (liters per day). Signals: rainfall to collecting, +.
collecting + liters water in barrel ‹rainfall› external driver
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Auxiliaries: liters short of full. Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute). Signals: liters short of full to filling, +.
filling + liters water in tub liters short of full gapdrawn as an ordinary variable
Stock & flow diagram: goats
Stocks: goats (goats). Auxiliaries: goats per hectare. Flows: goats dying, from goats to a cloud (goats per year). Signals: goats per hectare to goats dying, +, nonlinear.
goats dying + goats goats goats per hectare nonlinear effect
Stock & flow diagram: members
Stocks: members (people). Auxiliaries: posters up. Flows: joining, from a cloud to members (people per month). Signals: posters up to joining, +, hypothesis.
joining + people members posters up evidence coding
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Auxiliaries: tap opening (leverage point). Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute). Signals: tap opening to filling, +.
filling + liters water in tub ? ? ? ? tap opening leverage point
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute). Behavior note: full in about ten minutes.
filling liters water in tub full in about ten minutes behavior note
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Behavior-over-time graph of water in tub: rises toward a value and flattens.
liters water in tub water in tub (liters) time behavior-over-time graph
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters).
liters water in tub
stock
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute).
filling liters water in tub flow
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Flows: draining, from water in tub to a cloud (liters per minute).
draining liters water in tub cloud
Stock & flow diagram
Auxiliaries: tap opening.
tap opening
auxiliary
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Auxiliaries: tap opening. Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute). Signals: tap opening to filling, +.
filling + liters water in tub tap opening signal
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute); draining, from water in tub to a cloud (liters per minute). Stock equation: change in water in tub = filling − draining.
filling draining liters water in tub change in water in tub = filling − draining stock equation How each mark is drawn and read: chapter 6, What the notation expresses thinking-in-diagrams.aryehnielsen.com/accumulation/what-accumulates/#what-the-notation-expresses .
Feedback control diagram
Feedback control diagram
Variables: boiler output.
boiler output
variable
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: price; sales; revenue. Effects: price to sales (−, opposite direction); sales to revenue (+, same direction).
− + price sales revenue polarity
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: orders; deliveries. Effects: orders to deliveries (+, same direction, with a delay).
+ orders deliveries delay
Causal-loop diagram: R1 practice habit
Variables: practice; skill; enjoyment. Effects: practice to skill (+, same direction); skill to enjoyment (+, same direction); enjoyment to practice (+, same direction). Loop R1 practice habit, reinforcing: practice, skill, enjoyment, and back to practice.
+ + + practice skill enjoyment R1 practice habit loop
Causal-loop diagram: R1 compounding
Variables: savings; interest. Effects: savings to interest (+, same direction); interest to savings (+, same direction). Loop R1 compounding, reinforcing: savings, interest, and back to savings.
+ + savings interest R1 compounding reinforcing loop
Causal-loop diagram: B1 warming up
Variables: room heat; heating. Effects: room heat to heating (−, opposite direction); heating to room heat (+, same direction). Loop B1 warming up, balancing: room heat, heating, and back to room heat.
− + room heat heating B1 warming up balancing loop
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: orders; stock. Effects: orders to stock (−, opposite direction). Boundary the shop contains: orders; stock.
the shop − orders stock boundary
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: weather (external driver); footfall. Effects: weather to footfall (+, same direction). Boundary the café contains: footfall. Outside every boundary: weather.
the café + ‹weather› footfall external driver
Feedback control diagram
Variables: temperature wanted (target); temperature gap (gap); thermometer reading (measured value). Signals: temperature wanted to temperature gap, +; thermometer reading to temperature gap, −.
+ − temperature wanted target temperature gap gap thermometer reading measured value gapa role, written above its variable's name
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: workload; mistakes. Effects: workload to mistakes (+, same direction, nonlinear).
+ workload mistakes nonlinear effect
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: training; quality. Effects: training to quality (polarity not yet set, hypothesis).
training quality evidence coding
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: . Behavior note: oscillation.
oscillation behavior note
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Behavior-over-time graph of water in tub: rises toward a value and flattens.
liters water in tub water in tub (liters) time behavior-over-time graph
Feedback control diagram: chlorine in the water
Stocks: chlorine in the water (grams, controlled variable).
grams chlorine in the water controlled variable
stock
Feedback control diagram
Stocks: chlorine in the water (grams). Variables: dosing pump speed (corrective action). Flows: dosing, from a cloud to chlorine in the water (grams per hour). Signals: dosing pump speed to dosing, +.
dosing + dosing pump speed corrective action grams chlorine in the water flow
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Flows: draining, from water in tub to a cloud (liters per minute).
draining liters water in tub cloud
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Auxiliaries: tap opening. Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute). Signals: tap opening to filling, +.
filling + liters water in tub tap opening signal
Stock & flow diagram: water in tub
Stocks: water in tub (liters). Flows: filling, from a cloud to water in tub (liters per minute); draining, from water in tub to a cloud (liters per minute). Stock equation: change in water in tub = filling − draining.
filling draining liters water in tub change in water in tub = filling − draining stock equation
Feedback control diagram
Variables: temperature wanted (target); temperature gap. Signals: temperature wanted to temperature gap, +.
+ temperature wanted target temperature gap targeta role, written above its variable's name
Feedback control diagram
Variables: temperature gap; boiler output (corrective action). Signals: temperature gap to boiler output, +.
+ temperature gap boiler output corrective action corrective actiona role, written above its variable's name
Feedback control diagram: room temperature
Variables: boiler output; room temperature (controlled variable). Signals: boiler output to room temperature, +.
+ boiler output room temperature controlled variable controlled variablea role, written above its variable's name
Feedback control diagram
Variables: room temperature; thermometer reading (measured value). Signals: room temperature to thermometer reading, +.
+ room temperature thermometer reading measured value measured valuea role, written above its variable's name
Feedback control diagram
Variables: gust seen upwind (external driver); heel past upright (gap); sheet eased (corrective action). Signals: gust seen upwind to sheet eased, +; heel past upright to sheet eased, +. Feedforward: gust seen upwind → sheet eased.
+ + ‹gust seen upwind› heel past upright gap sheet eased corrective action feedforward
Feedback control diagram
Variables: room below target (gap); heater output (corrective action, at most 2 kW). Signals: room below target to heater output, +.
+ room below target gap heater output corrective action at most 2 kW saturation
Feedback control diagram
Variables: string below pitch (gap); peg turned (corrective action). Signals: string below pitch to peg turned, +, deadband ±3 cents.
+ deadband ±3 cents string below pitch gap peg turned corrective action deadband
Feedback control diagram
Variables: boost button (override); boiler output (corrective action). Signals: boost button to boiler output, +.
+ boost button override boiler output corrective action overridea role, written above its variable's name How each mark is drawn and read: chapter 8, What the notation expresses thinking-in-diagrams.aryehnielsen.com/control/sense-compare-correct/#what-the-notation-expresses .
System archetype
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: customers.
customers
variable
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: price; sales. Effects: price to sales (polarity not yet set).
price sales effect
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: price; sales; revenue. Effects: price to sales (−, opposite direction); sales to revenue (+, same direction).
− + price sales revenue polarity
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: orders; deliveries. Effects: orders to deliveries (+, same direction, with a delay).
+ orders deliveries delay
Causal-loop diagram: R1 practice habit
Variables: practice; skill; enjoyment. Effects: practice to skill (+, same direction); skill to enjoyment (+, same direction); enjoyment to practice (+, same direction). Loop R1 practice habit, reinforcing: practice, skill, enjoyment, and back to practice.
+ + + practice skill enjoyment R1 practice habit loop
Causal-loop diagram: R1 compounding
Variables: savings; interest. Effects: savings to interest (+, same direction); interest to savings (+, same direction). Loop R1 compounding, reinforcing: savings, interest, and back to savings.
+ + savings interest R1 compounding reinforcing loop
Causal-loop diagram: B1 warming up
Variables: room heat; heating. Effects: room heat to heating (−, opposite direction); heating to room heat (+, same direction). Loop B1 warming up, balancing: room heat, heating, and back to room heat.
− + room heat heating B1 warming up balancing loop
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: orders; stock. Effects: orders to stock (−, opposite direction). Boundary the shop contains: orders; stock.
the shop − orders stock boundary
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: weather (external driver); footfall. Effects: weather to footfall (+, same direction). Boundary the café contains: footfall. Outside every boundary: weather.
the café + ‹weather› footfall external driver
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: staffing gap; hiring. Effects: staffing gap to hiring (+, same direction).
+ staffing gap hiring gapdrawn as an ordinary variable
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: workload; mistakes. Effects: workload to mistakes (+, same direction, nonlinear).
+ workload mistakes nonlinear effect
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: training; quality. Effects: training to quality (polarity not yet set, hypothesis).
training quality evidence coding
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: reorder point (leverage point).
? ? ? ? reorder point leverage point
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: . Behavior note: oscillation.
oscillation behavior note
Causal-loop diagram
Variables: price; sales. Effects: price to sales (−, opposite direction, viewpoint: Growth).
− Growth price sales viewpoint tag
System archetype: fixes that fail
Variables: . Declared: fixes that fail, which the structure doesn't match.
Archetype: fixes that fail
archetype
System archetype
Variables: pests; spraying (symptomatic solution). Effects: pests to spraying (+, same direction).
+ pests spraying symptomatic solution symptomatic solutiona role, written above its variable's name
System archetype
Variables: pests; hedgerows planted (fundamental solution). Effects: pests to hedgerows planted (+, same direction).
+ pests hedgerows planted fundamental solution fundamental solutiona role, written above its variable's name
System archetype
Variables: spraying; predators lost (side effect). Effects: spraying to predators lost (+, same direction).
+ spraying predators lost side effect side effecta role, written above its variable's name How each mark is drawn and read: chapter 10, What the notation expresses thinking-in-diagrams.aryehnielsen.com/pattern-and-judgment/structures-that-recur/#what-the-notation-expresses .