Graphs over time of identified Needs/Resources

Graphs Over Time of Identified Needs/Resources

Following a connection circles activity, this script aims to collect more information on the nature of links between needs (including delays, order of delays, magnitude).

Steps:

Status

Under Development

Primary nature of group task

Convergent

Time

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Time required during session: 45 minutes

Follow-up time: 0 minutes

Materials

1. Camera or other method to capture the graphs
2. White Board
3. White Board markers

Inputs

Connection Circles artifact

Outputs

Set of graphs describing the links between variables.

Roles

• Facilitator who has some experience with SD to work with the group
• Modeler who listens to what is being graphed and the way people are talking about the graphs, and who is also be able to conceptualize the early seeds of system structure
• Wall-builder with little or no experience in SD who will cluster graphs and talk about themes
• Recorder to document the session and photograph the clustered graphs
• Runner (optional) to bring the graphs from the community facilitator if the group is large

Steps

1. Keep the same groups as from the connection circle exercise.
2. The modeling team assigns each group to a different wall within the room.
3. The facilitator gives an example of how to set up the graph over time, carefully labeling X-axis “Time” and designates the units of time (probably weeks, but could be days or months as appropriate). The Y axis is a scale from High (100) to Low (0) impact.  Just to the right of the Y axis is dotted “shock” line.
4. The facilitator demonstrates the process for drawing these graphs.  They select one starting need, which will be the “shock”.  They explain that the dotted line represents a time when there is a shock in the starting need (i.e. if the need is housing, the shock will be losing housing, if the need is physical health the shock will be a physical health crisis).  For each set of paired needs (Housing – physical health; housing-mental health; etc.), the group will draw a shape of the impact of a housing shock on that variable over time.
5. The facilitator then asks participants to graphs for each of the shocks, drawing lines for each paired need.
6. The facilitator and wall-builder walk around and help participants with the task if they need it. Allow 15 minutes or until the group runs out of steam to complete the task.

Evaluation Criteria

Graphs that show order of delay, length of delay, intensity of impact

Example of Graph Over Time

Authors

Koko Zhou, Sophie Cheng, Allison Simpson, Ellis Ballard

History

First described in October 2017 at the Social System Design Lab

Revisions

None

References

None

Notes

None