Having diverged and explored the boundaries of the system in the Identify Variables stage, we now need to start understanding the significance of the variables more by filtering them. This filtering process would normally take place in a workshop.
Participants are asked to allocate the variables to a matrix, an example of which is shown below. The dimensions of the matrix will consider the impact the driver has on the successful delivery of system success and the organisation’s ability to influence the driver.
The matrix can also be populated electronically in a spreadsheet. Download the variables from Vensim or Miro.
Impact Influence Matrix
It is worth reminding the participants that all the variables are important, they wouldn't have been mentioned in the documents/brainstorm if someone hadn't thought it was important. Thus the relative importance of each variable needs to be addressed.
The participants will first assess whether the impact of a particular driver is high, medium or low. A further pass can be made if desired on all drivers considered medium with the final objective of selecting those that will continue in the process and those that will be discarded.
The participants should then consider the organisation’s ability to influence the high impact drivers. I used to use high, medium and low for this too but I have found that Inside and Outside makes a clearer distinction.
All High-Outside variables should be challenged – are they really outside influence? Or just not influenced currently? If they really are outside then we must capture what the organisation does or could do to try to mitigate/manage the uncontrollable factor and add any new variables identified in this way to the High-Inside box.
# Process This stage may be completed synchronously in a workshop or asynchronously. If asynchronous then it is useful to distribute a spreadsheet pre-populated with judgements. That way the participants have a "stake in the ground" to critique. This is often easier than starting with a blank sheet. Differences of opinion will need to resolved. These are missing conversations which can promote learning and syntegration in teams.
The next stage is Create Pruned CLD.