2. Floops Floops emerge when actor’s actions affect their future actions creating a feedback loop Actor’s acts are based on limits, inputs and/or beliefs Outcomes are the results of mutiple actors being linked into feedback loops. Actors influence other actors by changing inputs, beliefs or limits. Floops arise spontaneously, grow and or disappearin different environments.
3. Parts of a Floopdiagram Floop diagrams show a single outcome for a given period of cycle time within the growth & decay constraints of all the actors Outcome States Components Actor or component Growth Outcome Decay Outcome Link between actors (no arrow head) = stable impact Stabile Outcome arrow head indicates growth or decay Clockwise actors indicate growth action Outcome of Floop Counter Clockwise actors indicate decay action
4. Reading a FloopDiagram: Subject + Verb = Outcome impact Example a lemonade stand inventory Floop: 10 Lemons are squeezed: increasing: lemonade inventory levels. Action growth & Decay limits are explicitly stated for each actor’s actions: Lemonade production capacity is limited to a maximum of 10 glasses/hour of Floop time and a minimum of 0 glasses due system failures.
5. Actor & Outcomes Growth Floop Choice point (Subject/Object) Action link (Verb) An Externality Decaying Floop Clockwise rotation = externality growth Counter Clockwise rotation = decay Stable Floop Stable Floop
6. The 4 Floop Outcomes Decay due to negative feedback by an actor Unbounded Growth due to positive feedback among all actors Decreasing to stable Outcome due to a dampener constraint Increasing to stable Outcome due to a dampener constraint
7. Positive & Negative Floop Outcomes To ∞ & beyond Death spiral System status System status Time, $’s, etc. Time, $’s, etc.
8. 2 stable states positive & negativeThese are stable due to the net stable state of the actors. Increasing Stabile Decreasing Stabile System status System status Time, $’s, etc. Time, $’s, etc.
9. 2. Multi-actor Floop 1. Simple Floops 3. Floop Outcomes can be considered actors with actions in other Floops 4. Floop Outcomes combined for a larger system Floop = = = =
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11. limitation of Floops: only representing bounded states & only representational of a single outcome within those boundaries are intentional
14. Floop constraint’s limit the graphic representation to a small understanding of a piece of a system
15. Complex systems may be better understood and discussed using multiple Floop diagrams instead of overly complex systems diagrams which are too sensitive to assumptions or represent too many moving parts and boundary conditions.