Page 15 - Ai V2.0 Flipbook C8
P. 15
Brainy Fact
Digital solutions have improved over 1 billion lives through 320 projects in nearly 130 countries,
as part of the EDISON Alliance's 1 Billion Lives Challenge.
Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is an approach to problem-solving that views problems as part of a larger,
interconnected system. It focuses on understanding the interactions and relationships between
the components of the system, rather than viewing each part in isolation.
Instead of analysing each part in isolation, it studies how the parts interact, the patterns they
create over time and the way feedback loops drive the system’s overall behaviour.
more rabbits means MORE foxes: it's a
positive (+) relationship
+
rabbits A basic ecological feedback loop foxes
–
more foxes means FEWER rabbits: it's a
negative (–) relationship
Example: In a fox and rabbit ecosystem, more rabbits provide extra food, the fox population rises,
rabbits then decline through predation, and the cycle continues. The ebb and flow make sense
only when the animals are viewed together, not separately.
System Maps
A system map is a diagram that shows the key elements of a system and the arrows of influence
between them. Nodes represent people, resources or events; arrows show the direction (and
sometimes the polarity) of cause and effect. Reinforcing and balancing loops can be highlighted
to reveal patterns such as virtuous cycles or limiting forces.
The purposes of System Maps are as follows:
• Make complexity visible – turning a tangled verbal description into a clear picture.
• Expose feedback loops – spotting self-reinforcing growth or balancing pressures that keep
the system in check.
Project to AI Project Cycle 13

