METHODS & TOOLS

5 System Mapping Methods

FORCE FIELD MAPPING
WHAT A simple but effective method for quickly identifying the forces for or
DIFFICULTY: 1/5
against a change, and prioritizing actions that will have the greatest impact.
WHEN This method is especially helpful when the success of your initiative MATERIALS:
depends on certain people (e.g. doctors or people with diabetes) changing their Markers
behaviors. However, it’s also effective at quickly capturing general forces that(for the facilitator)
need to be addressed (such as limited availability of information on diabetes). Stickies, if desired
WHO This method is useful when the participants are familiar with the interests Blank wall or Flipchart
and concerns of those people who are influencing ultimate success of the work.
In a diabetes example, this might include case workers, doctors, nurses, and
patients who want to help other patients.
HOW To do this, write the group’s challenge at the top of a flip chart page. Then, create two columns below that,
and label the columns Forces For and Forces Against.
Instructions to participants:
1. We’re going to quickly generate as many items as we can under each of these two columns:
2. Under Forces For, we’ll list all the factors that are contributing to make this change happen or that attract
people to adopt a new behavior.
3. Under Forces Against, we’ll list all the factors that are preventing the change from happening or people from
adopting a new behavior.
4. [After they’ve populated each column]. Now let’s identify the 3 strongest forces in the Forces For column
(those that seem to exert the most influence) and then do the same in the Forces Against column.
5. Now let’s look at each of the six strongest forces and, starting with the first force, we’ll generate 3 specific
strategies for strengthen or weaken the forces to change the force field. [Make sure that each strategy is as
specific as possible.
WHY Benefits of Force Field Analysis:
• It’s a fast way to get a full view of why things seem stuck or why a person isn’t changing his or her behavior.
• Provides a starting analysis for developing and
prioritizing actions that are likely to move thing
forward.
• The results are specific and can be refined and tested
with other stakeholders as you move forward.
WHAT’S NEXT We often use the results of a
force field analysis to prototype some solutions or
interventions. By testing those prototypes and seeing
how they work (or don’t work), we learn more about
whether our force field analysis might be missing
something important or is inaccurate in some other way,
so we can refine it over time through testing.
The force field concept was first described by psychologist Kurt
Lewin in a 1943 article titled “The Field at a Given Time.”

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 METHODS & TOOLS

5 System Mapping Methods

KEY FACTORS MAPPING
WHAT This is a simple but effective method for quickly identifying the factors DIFFICULTY: 2/5
that have the most influence on addressing a given challenge.
MATERIALS
WHEN This method is especially helpful when things aren’t moving forward
and there seem to be underlying issues that hold things back. The process helps Medium Stickies
push a group to think harder about what’s really holding back progress. (two colors)
WHO A diverse group of stakeholders who care about solving the challenge, Felt tip markers
especially if they seem to bring diverging perspectives on how to do it. (one for each participant)
HOW To do this, draw a 1-foot circle in the center of the large sheet of paper. Large wall of paper or
Write the group’s challenge in that circle. Then, draw another circle that’s as large whitebard, 6x6’
as possible on your paper, and another that’s in between these two circles. [See
example below. Note that this exercise can be done with or without post-its.]
Instructions to participants:
1. I’ve put our challenge in the center of this page. Do we all agree that this is what we’re working on?
2. Now, in this middle circle, I want you to generate post-its for anything that will impact us addressing our
challenge. These might be things that will help us achieve it or hold us back from that. Go!
3. [You might need to group post-its into themes where people have generated similar items. Do this next.
4. Now in the outer circle, I want you to put down anything that impacts the elements in the middle circle.
5. Now, as a group, let’s start connecting any element that impacts another element. We’ll draw a line between
any two elements where one element seems to impact the other.
At this point, a few elements will start to emerge as the ones that are most influencing other elements (because
they have the most lines connected to them). You can check with the group whether that seems accurate and
then work on specific strategies for addressing these key factors.
WHY Benefits of Key Factors Analysis:
• It’s a very fast way to identify the factors that seem to have
the most impact, and might be powerful places to focus
intervention strategies.
• It helps a group put everything on the table and view it all
together as factors to consider.
• You can include any type of factor, including policies,
practices, institutions, or political issues.
WHAT’S NEXT The key factors are often things that have
been under the table or unaddressed, so it is helpful to help the
group talk through why that factor is having such a big impact
(usually a negative impact) on their ability to address the
challenge. Good facilitation can help them uncover some unstated assumptions, beliefs, biases, or political
dynamics that have been holding back progress.

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 METHODS & TOOLS

5 System Mapping Methods

CONSTELLATION MAPPING
WHAT This is a sophisticated method for building shared insight into the
DIFFICULTY: 3/5
dynamics around a given challenge, identifying possible solution pathways, and
engaging stakeholders in contributing resources to the solutions. MATERIALS:
WHEN This method is especially helpful when you need people to thoroughly Hexagon-shaped notes
understand a complex challenge together, generate practical pathways to action, from thinkingtools.net
AND build genuine commitment to working together, all at the same time. (red, blue, and green)
WHO This method works well for groups of up to 30 people working on issues Sharpie markers
that are complex and not well defined. Participants should represent a diversity of (one for each participant)
perspectives on the challenges and be able to commit resources to addressing the
challenge.
HOW Instructions to participants:
1. We’re going to quickly generate as many items as we can related to this issue. There are three types:
Challenges are problems related to the issue (write these on red notes),
Opportunities are potentially positive outcomes of addressing the issue (write these on green),
Resources are things you can leverage directly or indirectly to positively impact the issue (on blue).
2. Write one item per note—legibly!
3. Each item must somehow relate to the focus issue, each item must be specific (use concrete examples where
possible), and each participant can create an unlimited number of items—the more, the better.
After people have written lots of items, tell them to generate two more items each and then post all of them on
the wall. It’s okay if they start to connect related items as they post, but they shouldn’t go too deep yet.
After the participants have posted all their items, take a short break and then gather everyone near the wall.
Make sure everyone can see the notes well and then invite them to start connecting elements. Read items aloud
as you connect them together. (The hexagon-shaped notes fit
neatly together into patterns.)
WHY Benefits of Constellation Mapping:
• Each person’s distinct perspective and information
becomes part of the whole picture.
• Items often come together to produce insights that no
individual participant would have seen.
• As people connect problems with resources and
opportunities, the connections show possible “solution
pathways” to address the problem multi-dimensionally.
• People begin to see the relationship among various
elements and understand the dynamics of the problem.
• The process of connecting items that everyone generated
builds shared understanding and commitment.
WHAT’S NEXT Use the output to seed a storyboarding process, where the group creates possible stories
about what’s happening now and what the desired future looks like, and then uses storytelling to chart how this
group might make that future happen.
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 METHODS & TOOLS

5 System Mapping Methods

VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS
WHAT A method for uncovering disconnects or disincentives for delivering
DIFFICULTY: 4/5
better outcomes across a value chain.
WHEN This method usually applies when a better product or service needs to MATERIALS:
be delivered to consumers, citizens, or institutions (e.g. healthier school food). Medium Stickies
(green and yellow)
WHO This method is most effective when the participants represent the various
“players” along the value chain, because we ultimately need to learn how to Extra-large Stickies
design things so that everyone gets a good deal. from thinkingtools.net
HOW Start by writing a working goal at the top of the sheet of paper. Then use Felt tip markers
the extra-large post-its to identify key players along the value chain–these might (one for each participant)
include farmers, processors, distributors, importers, food service companies, Long wall or paper
schools, or other groups depending on your situation. Note that it’s often most
efficient to have a “scribe” to write contributions from the group on post-its.The
post-its are more legible and the facilitator can summarize the discussion quickly for the notetaker.
Instructions to participants:
1. Let’s start with key players at the beginning of this value chain (e.g., with farmers). As we move toward our
goal, what, if anything might be a barrier for these folks? [Capture these on yellow post-its.]
2. Now, what solutions, resources, or opportunities might help reduce these barriers (e.g., for farmers)?
3. [After the group has done these for each key player] Looking across the whole value chain, where do things
seem to be most stuck?
4. Okay, so value chains work most effectively when there are clear “signals” from the demand side to the
supply side. How well are those signals coming across here? How might we strengthen them?
WHY Benefits of Value Chain Mapping:
• It’s a very focused way to think about the value that each player involved in delivering better outcomes is
receiving, and how to improve the value proposition for them.
• The results are specific and can be refined and tested with other stakeholders as you move forward.
WHAT’S NEXT Using the value chain map, we can identify the critical actors who represent key leverage
points and whose current and desired experience we need to better understand in order to deliver a better
solution, and then focus on how to make a better value proposition for them.

CHOICE LEVERAGE LEVERAGE PRESSURE

POINT POINT POINT POINT

Input supplier Farmer Trader Processor Manufacturer Distributor Retailer Consumer

(SYSTEM: FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN)

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 METHODS & TOOLS

5 System Mapping Methods

CAUSAL LOOP DIAGRAMMING
WHAT A method for clarifying the dynamics among parts of a system to
DIFFICULTY: 5/5
identify leverage points for change.
WHEN Especially helpful when the system is highly complex with many factors MATERIALS:
interacting to influence the outcomes from the overall system. Medium Stickies
WHO Most effective when you have a group that represents the whole system Arrow Stickies
that’s being diagrammed and a facilitator who’s experienced with causal loop Felt tip markers
diagramming. (one for each participant)
HOW Start by writing a working goal at the top of the sheet of paper. Then ask Long wall or paper
the group to identify all the variables of the system that might be impacting OR Kumu.io software
how that system is working (note that the boundaries of what you consider the
“system” might need to change during this exercise!
Then draw arrows between any two variables that impact one another. If two variables move in the same
direction, then label that arrow with a plus sign (+). If the two variablles move in opposite directions, then label
the arrow between them with a minus sign (-).
Once you’ve labeled the arrows, determine whether each loop is a reinforcing loop, where a change in one
direction is compounded by more change, or a balancing loop, where a change in one direction is corrected or
countered by change in the opposite direction. When the diagram seems complete, then talk through it like it’s a
story to test whether the map really captures what’s going on in that system.
WHY Benefits of Causal Loop Diagramming:
• It’s a strong method for exposing a group’s assumptions about what’s happening in a system and where to
focus their efforts (or their learning and experimentation).
WHAT’S NEXT You can test the map with other stakeholders to see what might be missing or to test
assumptions about relationships among variables on the map, and then refine it over time to create a more and
more accurate picture of the system’s dynamics.

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