Floops

floops
Systems Diagrams for Feedback loops

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.

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

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.

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

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

Positive & Negative Floop Outcomes
To ∞ & beyond
Death spiral
System status
System status
Time, $’s, etc.
Time, $’s, etc.

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.

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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Why Floops?
Simple graphic way of explaining and sharing a system’s state
limitation of Floops: only representing bounded states & only representational of a single outcome within those boundaries are intentional
Avoid crazy complicated systems diagrams
Complex systems can only by partially understood by definition
Floop constraint’s limit the graphic representation to a small understanding of a piece of a system
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.

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Floops

by Nick Gogerty on Feb 12, 2010

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Floops — Presentation Transcript