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Criterion
Paper illustration for Soft Systems Methodology.
Systems Thinking
Soft Systems Methodology
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Rich Picture
How Might We
Innovation
How Might We
Paper illustration of many question cards around one challenge
Facilitation
Question Burst
Purposedifferent
Soft Systems Methodology helps explore unclear or politically charged problems systematically. Instead of forcing a quick answer, the method builds a shared understanding of perspectives and room for action.A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early.With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction.When a problem gets covered up too quickly with answers, Question Burst puts the better question at the center. The format opens the thinking space before the group commits to an interpretation.
Complexitydifferent
HighLowLowLow
Timedifferent
0.5-3 Tage30-90 min30–45 min15-30 min
Participantsdifferent
5-152-101-102-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Rich Picture, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change AgendaRich Picture, Problem Framing NotesHMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea PromptsQuestion List, Reframed Challenge, Learning Prompts
Tagsno overlap
Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions
QuestionsReframingFacilitationSensemaking
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