Ventana software support forum

In reactions to some of the discussion about disseminating specific insights and SD consciousness skills... First, thanks to Van for stimulating the discussion. Jay Forests point about getting the client involved is a very important, necessary, pretty-well-understood, and still-oft-ignored one. Howe...

In reponse to Linda Booths query about educational software >Are there any I am missing? Should IThink and Vensim be included? To address a VFAQ (V is for Very): The STELLA and ithink software are identical (save for a few default settings). The extremely important difference is in the documentation...

Shi Ling, Sorry for the slow response. You may want to check out a model called SYSDEV that I developed. It looks at the development of a hardware/software systems, and gets into issues of planning vs. charging forward. Its not exactly what you are looking for, but may provide some inspiration. The ...

In response to Andy Ms inquiry about model patient flow through an ER. We include a model that addresses the kinds of issues that your are interested in with the ithink software. Its written up as a case study in the Applications Guide. Also, the model included with the ithink demo, which you can ei...

Specifically with respect to using computers for simulation, I think the crux of argument (for those feeling averse) is Professor Forresters. To paraphrase: You WILL simulate, the choice is whether to do it with a computer or mentally. To the extent stakeholders feel disconnected from the model bein...

My friend, Usman Ghani, of McKinsey tells the bacteria story in the context of a Lotus pond with the Lotuses doubling the surface area they cover each day. He actually runs the simulation for 29 days (or whatever), then has people sketch in their projection of the future (using ithinks sketchable gr...

In respose to John JS Saunders inquiry: You are probably aware of "Mindwalk." A relevant and interesting film, but not exactly what you are looking for. You should also consider HPSs "Systems Thinking: Taking the Next Step," an interactive CD that lets users experience the applic...

>So I guess its a case of horses for courses - if the aim is to produce a >modeller, start them the right way with stocks and flows; if you want to >get an executive to be comfortable switching between Newtonian >andsystemic thinking,CLD type sketches may be more accessible. ...they may be, but Ive ...

>If the >variable carries a name that makes it clear it is a flow, would not the CLD >be more representative of what the modeler wants to say? I agree with the spirit, Bill, but I think the answer is to use a symbol to indicate whether the variable is a stock of flow, and to show the direction of fl...

>The little u-shaped arrows have the same problem in causal-loop >diagrams that Ss and Os have I quite agree with George, but I dont think the "-" is the answer. The inherent limitation of CLDs George described (i.e. no Stock/Flow distinction) is exactly why we dont use em too much. ******...

Regarding Causal Loop Diagrams... We do not tend to use CLDs for model conceptualization, rather we advocate that even novices go right to stocks and flows. (The wherefores are longer discussion.) However, we do use CLDs as an after-the-fact summary of feedbacks in a model, and for those we use a si...

Regarding Georges response on depreciation: I could imagine modeling a drain from a stock of useful information which would represent information becoming obsolete. Youd probably model it as exponential decay. Maybe there are some financial/accounting circumstances in which you might depreciate the ...

I was reading the May-June 97 "Utne Reader." It referenced the new "Encyclopedia of the Future" (Macmillan) which has a list of the 10 most influential futurists of all time. Here they are: 1. R. Buckminster Fuller, engineer 2. Herman Kahn, founder of the Hudson Insitute 3. H.G. ...

I agree with much of the discussion following Georges point: Learn SD first, write dissertation second. I am concerned, however, about scaring business people off, because I am firmly convinced that even people new to SD can derive great value from SD modeling. Wendell Gunn asked, "Whats the ca...

Elsa, This may be of help: If youve not seen the user guides that come with ithink, doing so would be a good starting point. They are loaded with examples of uses of simulation in companies. The Business Applications Guide is organized around a number of case studies. You can read about the applicat...

>From Phil Odence, HPS: I will be the last person to argue for form over substance, and the first to admit that one can easily go overboard with "bells & whistles." However, from having been involved in building a number of Learning Environments and observing people interacting with th...