Systems Feedback Mapping

Most system failures come from unrecognized feedback loops — especially delayed balancing loops that cause overshoot and collapse. Reinforcing loops amplify change in one direction; balancing loops push back toward a target. Until both types are visible and named, diagnosis and intervention are guesswork.

Your Process

Step 1: Define System Boundary State what is inside the system and what is outside it. Name the time horizon and the key behavior to explain (growth, oscillation, collapse, stagnation).

Framing check: Confirm the specific system and the feedback relationship in focus before continuing. State what you've identified — the actual system being analyzed, its time horizon, and the behavior you're mapping — in one sentence, then use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "I'm reading this as: [your one-sentence framing of the system, time horizon, and behavior to explain]. Is that right?"
• Header: "Framing"
• Options:
  • Yes — proceed — framing is correct
  • Adjust — one element is off; user will correct it before you continue
  • Reframe — different situation than read; incorporate the correction before proceeding