**Pattern Name:**
System Dynamics Model
**Introduction:**
What will happen if?
**Illustration:**
Simulating Model Behavior. source
**CONTEXT:**
We may want to quantify the likely outcome when we intervene in the system which is our neighborhood. Unfortunately, our brains are not able to simulate complex systems and understand how they will behave over time. Research shows that even highly intelligent people are unable to predict the behavior of relatively simple systems.
**PROBLEM:**
**Causal Loop Models and Stock Flow Models explicitly capture the structure of a system but do not show how it will behave over time.**
**Forces:**
**THEREFORE (SOLUTION):**
**Create a system dynamics model of the system by calibrating the relationships in your Stock Flow Model.** NB This is not a trivial task.
**Actions:**
**Consequences:**
All models are wrong but some are useful! We use our models to design interventions, but the true test of our understanding is the response of the system itself. By **Designing Experiments** (asking questions of the system) we learn more about the way it works, refining our understanding and improving the quality of our interventions.
**Known Uses:**
**RELATED PATTERNS:**