This the same paper discussed in the earlier topic on “Working paper – Why is there so little impact.” We have now completed the first draft. The paper is available here. It should appeal to those interested in the process of system dynamics modeling and how it can be improved so that system dynamics modelers can more reliably and efficiently solve difficult problems.
The highlight of the paper is “Table 2. RCA-based system dynamics modeling process for difficult problems,” which is here. RCA is root cause analysis.
Presented late in the paper, Table 2 lists the steps of the RCA-based process in a similar manner to John Sterman’s “Table 3-1 Steps of the modeling process,” page 86 in Business Dynamics. The similarity arises because, as the paper explains, “The resulting process is a customized version of the Sterman process that fits problems so difficult they require well-structured RCA.”
As before, we would be most grateful for thoughtful questions or comments on how the paper, and thereby the field of system dynamics, can be improved.
Thanks once again,
Jack Harich and Montserrat Koloffon Rosas