Miro is a collaborative whiteboard platform that we have found useful for online systems mapping workshops. We have run workshops of varying lengths and with varying set-ups and objectives.
Here, you will find links to template boards in Miro. This list reflects our current thinking and is constantly updated. All templates are freely available under a Creative Commons Creative Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
To use the boards, you will first have to copy them to your own account. See our video of how to do so, or check our slides.
1. Full Board
A half-day systems mapping workshop where the systems mapping activity serves mainly as a demonstration of what systems mapping is and what kinds of insights and outcomes can be generated.
This setup is suitable for contexts with experienced facilitators and trained modelers. We have used it in settings where public and private sector participants came together to learn about systems thinking and system dynamics and to work towards a shared understanding of current cross-cutting problems such as Bergen’s fossil free 2030 strategy or the future of ocean business in a country like Norway.
This setup is based on the following scripts: Behavior over Time; Initiating and Elaborating a Causal Loop Diagram; Map Review; Action Ideas.
For an overview of the board activities, you can see this video. For practical information on how to use the board, view our videos, or check our Instructions Board.
2. Short Mapping (Role-Playing)
A fairly short session with a role-playing exercise.
This setup requires trained facilitators & modelers. The other participants assume various personas as stakeholders. This is a great setup for use in classrooms where participants have to work on an issue that they are not necessarily familiar with.
This template uses the following scripts: Initiating and Elaborating a Causal Loop Diagram; a modified Places to Intervene script.
Credit for the role-playing part goes to Andrew Brown! He developed all the personas for a short mapping session on obesity prevention. In a similar session, Kenza Bendabderrazik developed the personas for a short mapping session on tomato production in Morocco.
3. Short Mapping
A fairly short session that engages participants in a process of framing a problem, identifying important variables around it, and eliciting and mapping causal structures.
This setup requires experienced facilitators and (trained) modelers who work with small groups.
This template uses the following scripts: Variable Elicitation, Initiating and Elaborating a Causal Loop Diagram and a modified Places to Intervene.
For more information on how to use this board, you can see our Instructions and Training Board.
A sample facilitation manual for a short mapping session can be found here.