Skills for Planet Learning Lab: Systems Mapping Methods

Explore and build your skills in systems mapping: learn the theory underpinning the tools, practice mapping skills to articulate problems.
About this Event

*Please note that we will be hosting 4 workshops in this series, and each will centre on a different systems mapping method. We encourage individuals to attend all of the workshops for a more cohesive learning experience, however it is also possible to join select workshops.

Working with a systems-orientation demands new practices from designers. In this workshop series you will build your skills in systems mapping. Starting with a light introduction to the theory underpinning systems mapping methods, you will then practice using several mapping tools, aiding problem definition and design decision-making.

Through four half-day workshops in-person we will explore four aspects of systems mapping: Rich Pictures (expanding your personal view through multiple perspectives), Actor Mapping (surfaces ‘who’ is part of a system), Causal Loops (focuses on the relationships and interdependencies within a system), and Multi-Level Perspective (explores how problems have evolved across multiple levels and time horizons).

By the end of the sessions you will have a practical starting point for integrating systems mapping into your own approach.

Workshops:

• RICH PICTURES WORKSHOP - 20 November 2026
• ACTOR MAPPING WORKSHOP - 27 November 2026
• CAUSAL LOOP WORKSHOP - 4 December 2026
• MULTI-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE WORKSHOP - 11 December 2026
  

*Please note, if you would like to attend all four workshops, you will have to register for each one individually.

Further information about each workshop:

RICH PICTURES WORKSHOP
This workshop is for:
Designers wanting to surface and compare different perspectives on a complex system.
By the end you will:

• Understand what rich pictures are and why they reveal what other methods don't

• Create a rich picture showing your perspective on a system

• Identify themes and perspectives across rich pictures
• Know how to use this method with stakeholders or within a design team

ACTOR MAPPING WORKSHOP
This workshop is for:
Designers wanting to surface and analyse different actors in a complex system.
By the end you will:

• Be able to identify relationships between actors

• Practice techniques for analysis that help generate insights for action

• Surface dynamics between actors that shift your approach

• Be able to work with others to map the actors in a project

CAUSAL LOOP WORKSHOP
This workshop is for:
Designers wanting to understand system dynamics and feedback loops as a thinking tool.
By the end you will:

• Understand what feedback loops are and how they drive system behaviour

• Identify and name the possible variables in a system

• Map causal relationships tracing different kinds of feedback loop

• Identify when a CLD is useful and how to use it in practice

MULTI-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE

This workshop is for:
Designers wanting to understand how to work with/against systems dynamics to inform the design of systemic interventions.
By the end you will:

• Understand the dynamics of different systems levels

• Identify the influence of ideologies and mindsets on behaviours in systems

• Map feedback loops that span multiple levels

• Identify points of leverage that can affect change across levels