methodatlas
Method guideSystems Thinking

Rich Picture

A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.

ComplexityLow
Time30-90 min
Participants2-10
FormatWorkshop
MaturityEstablished
Prepare plan
01

Prerequisite

What needs to be finished first

Complete firstClear scope

A complex or ambiguous situation where people hold different views and shared understanding is needed first.

Without a boundary, data, perspectives, or flows become mixed.
Complete firstAccess to evidence

Relevant people and sources can be included.

Gaps remain visible; missing evidence must not be invented.
02

Preparation

What needs to be ready before start

Materials

Shared workspace, accessible sources, and a decision log.

People / roles

Stakeholder perspectives · facilitator · scribe

Pre-read

Clarify the question, timeframe, data access, roles, and known uncertainties in advance.

Time needed

60–120 minutes for group exploration; needed perspectives may require multiple sessions.

Setup

Create a shared version. Label facts, assumptions, and decisions separately.

03

Core question

The one question this method answers

Which elements and differing perspectives shape the situation before we impose a premature structure?

04

Flow

Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall

Rich Picture makes an unclear situation visible by placing facts, perspectives, relationships, conflicts, and open questions together. It supports a justified next step without imposing a system explanation.

Multi-perspective situation picture and open questions

Fictional worked example

Explore an unclear situation visually by placing facts, perspectives, relationships, conflicts, and open questions together.

Elements

Describe the open question and who/what it concerns.

Queue, self-checkout machine, advice desk, returns kiosk, missing books.

Voices

Draw elements, voices, places, and hard and soft information.

Fictional: students want fast checkout; staff see more advice needs than capacity.

Tensions

Mark conflicts, relationships, and doubts as perspectives.

Speed of self-service ↔ personal help; statements are from an invented workshop.

Open questions

Collect surprises and next questions without prescribing a solution.

Which failures extend queues? Which cases need personal advice?

Fictional city library: picture shows a long queue, time-pressed students, staff balancing checkout and advice, a faulty self-checkout machine, and the open question of missing books. Speech bubbles mark conflicting views; arrows only where participants suspect a relationship.

Rich pictures · Open University OpenLearn

  1. 1

    Situation

    Open the situation and purpose

    Goal

    Does the inquiry stay open rather than solution-led?

    Inputs for this step

    • Open situation and spatial or temporal boundary

    Actions

    • Pose an open question; show boundaries and perspectives without imposing a system explanation.
    • Does the inquiry stay open rather than solution-led?

    Output

    Open situation boundary and participants

    Open situation boundary and participants

    Quality check

    Does the inquiry stay open rather than solution-led?

    Pitfall

    Picture formalized too early Collect perspectives before imposing boundaries or causes.

    Timing: Part of the agreed work block; research may be separate.

  2. 2

    Perspectives

    Depict elements and voices

    Goal

    Are subjective statements marked as perspectives?

    Inputs for this step

    • Voices, roles, places, objects, and observations

    Actions

    • Draw people, places, flows, artifacts, feelings, and conflicts; label perspectives.
    • Are subjective statements marked as perspectives?

    Output

    Multi-perspective picture of the situation

    Multi-perspective picture of the situation

    Quality check

    Are subjective statements marked as perspectives?

    Pitfall

    The picture represents only one perspective Invite each group to contribute and preserve divergent views.

    Timing: Part of the agreed work block; research may be separate.

  3. 3

    Relationships

    Explore relationships cautiously

    Goal

    Are suspected causes marked as assumptions rather than facts?

    Inputs for this step

    • Interactions, tensions, and contested links

    Actions

    • Show explicit interactions and tensions; mark contested or assumed links.
    • Are suspected causes marked as assumptions rather than facts?

    Output

    Visible tensions and suspected relationships

    Visible tensions and suspected relationships

    Quality check

    Are suspected causes marked as assumptions rather than facts?

    Pitfall

    Feelings treated as objective facts Attribute the statement to a person or group and mark uncertainty.

    Timing: Part of the agreed work block; research may be separate.

  4. 4

    Inquiry

    Choose questions for inquiry

    Goal

    Do different participants recognize their perspectives?

    Inputs for this step

    • Group reflection and open questions

    Actions

    • Review the picture with participants; mark surprises, gaps, and next inquiry.
    • Do different participants recognize their perspectives?

    Output

    Open inquiry questions

    Open inquiry questions

    Quality check

    Do different participants recognize their perspectives?

    Pitfall

    Participants missing from picture Include observers and the group’s own interests in the picture.

    Timing: Part of the agreed work block; research may be separate.

05

Artifact

What comes out at the end

Sketch: what the artifact looks like

Rich Picture · Informal System SketchMake roles, conflicts, flows, artifacts, and open questions visible in a deliberately non-formal way
Rich PictureThe visual shows an informal system sketch with roles, flows, conflict, workaround, and open questions.Make a messy system discussableThe sketch collects symbols, tensions, and relationships without formalizing the system too early.RequestsTicketsReportinggoal conflictCustomersexpectationSupportpressureSystemticket flowManagementgoalsConflictWorkaround?
Form

Versioned result with question, evidence, open issues, next action, ownership, and review date.

Versioning / ownership

Record date, scope, sources, and changes. Preserve earlier observations.

Tool alternatives
  • Whiteboard or paper
  • Shared spreadsheet
  • Versioned project space

rich-picture-working-template.md

Prepare Rich Picture with a clear question, roles, and sources.

Rich Picture: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Plan the full method Time: Set according to scope and available evidence

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

  • Materials: Shared workspace, accessible sources, and a decision log.
  • Roles: Stakeholder perspectives · facilitator · scribe
  • Advance information: Clarify the question, timeframe, data access, roles, and known uncertainties in advance.
  • Overall time needed: 60–120 minutes for group exploration; needed perspectives may require multiple sessions.
  • Setup: Create a shared version. Label facts, assumptions, and decisions separately.

Prepare for the work steps

Situation: Open the situation and purpose

  • Open situation and spatial or temporal boundary

Perspectives: Depict elements and voices

  • Voices, roles, places, objects, and observations

Relationships: Explore relationships cautiously

  • Interactions, tensions, and contested links

Inquiry: Choose questions for inquiry

  • Group reflection and open questions

Multi-perspective situation picture and open questions

Elements

Describe the open question and who/what it concerns.

...

Voices

Draw elements, voices, places, and hard and soft information.

...

Tensions

Mark conflicts, relationships, and doubts as perspectives.

...

Open questions

Collect surprises and next questions without prescribing a solution.

...

Blank worksheet: start with a bounded question. Enter observed facts only, mark assumptions, and record open questions and sources.

Rich pictures · Open University OpenLearn

Situation: Open the situation and purpose

Expected artifact: Open situation boundary and participants

Open situation boundary and participants

Entry:

...

  • Does the inquiry stay open rather than solution-led?

Perspectives: Depict elements and voices

Expected artifact: Multi-perspective picture of the situation

Multi-perspective picture of the situation

Entry:

...

  • Are subjective statements marked as perspectives?

Relationships: Explore relationships cautiously

Expected artifact: Visible tensions and suspected relationships

Visible tensions and suspected relationships

Entry:

...

  • Are suspected causes marked as assumptions rather than facts?

Inquiry: Choose questions for inquiry

Expected artifact: Open inquiry questions

Open inquiry questions

Entry:

...

  • Do different participants recognize their perspectives?

Open questions and next steps

...

Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/rich-picture/run-sheet

06

Example output

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.

rich-picture-beispiel.md

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional worked example

Fictional city library: picture shows a long queue, time-pressed students, staff balancing checkout and advice, a faulty self-checkout machine, and the open question of missing books. Speech bubbles mark conflicting views; arrows only where participants suspect a relationship.

All names and values are invented for illustration. Unresolved explanations remain questions.

07

Pitfalls

Recognize symptoms and steer against them

Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow

  1. Open the situation and purposePicture formalized too earlyView in phase
  2. Depict elements and voicesThe picture represents only one perspectiveView in phase
  3. Explore relationships cautiouslyFeelings treated as objective factsView in phase
  4. Choose questions for inquiryParticipants missing from pictureView in phase
08

Stop criteria

When to pause, resolve prerequisites, or choose another approach

The question or boundary remains ambiguous: narrow it first.
Key data or participants are missing: label the gap and arrange access.
The group mixes observation and explanation: revisit the evidence.
An immediate safety or operational risk appears: stop and use the responsible procedures.

Method after Systems Thinking Community. The method comes from systems thinking, system dynamics, or adjacent organizational practice. Curated with 1 sources.

Sources: Rich pictures · Open University OpenLearn

Flow, timeboxes, and pitfalls are editorially curated practice recommendations based on the listed sources.

Where to go next?

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Delineates a concrete system deliberately from the explored situation.

Iceberg Model method illustration showing its working structure
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Iceberg Model

Deepens a pattern visible in the drawing toward underlying structure.

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