https://transduction.systems/systems-thinking/practice/index.html

In our delivery at SCiO (www.systemspractice.org) of the level 7 systems thinking practitioner in the apprenticeship, many apprentices have consistently asked for simple exercise worked examples with answers so they can do ‘dry runs’ of their systems methods learning.

There are some reasons to resist this approach, since systems practice is very much about application in the real world, and the apprenticeship is structured to teach, give worked exercises and examples in workshops, and accompany people along a genuine journey of apprenticing to learn a craft.

However, it’s also the case that exercises such as these can help to develop technical skills and check understanding and give a good basis for systems practice – as long as they aren’t mistaken for the purpose of the exerrcise, or the practice itself!

I previously got lost in a maze of all the material out there, not much of which really meets the specification (outside of system dynamics where the technical skills are perhaps more sharply defined and more closely linked to the practice). Having become giddy with vibe-coding and LLM capability, I have now produced an alpha version which is published and tested on the live site: Systems methods practice.

The pack has 26 free practice pages:

• all 13 core approaches and three theory areas in the public SCiO framework, plus
• ten supporting areas of systemic inquiry and intervention.
• The standards coverage page maps these to SCiO and ST0787, with the depth and limits stated.

Each page provides a fictional scenario, modelling or analysis tasks, worked comparisons, checks with explanations, a defective model to repair, and a changed case to attempt again. There are 102 worked steps and 69 check questions. The system dynamics, VSM and interpretive structural modelling pages also have structured model-checking controls. Learners can save notes locally and export their attempts. No sign-in is required.

The resource register contains 42 annotated free and paid resource entries. It distinguishes actual exercises from explanations, recordings and software. The OU’s defective-map exercises and worked comparisons are linked directly, as are MIT’s paired system dynamics assignments and solutions. Broken or uncertain access is labelled.

The pack is linked from the systems-thinking introduction page https://transduction.systems/systems-thinking/, The Necessary Tangle home page https://transduction.systems/ and navigation, reading routes, and relevant method entries in the Tangle. Its resources and practice connections are also included in the atlas.

You can also download the offline pack. Separate task sheets without answers and worked answers are also available online.

To be clear: this is an ALPHA VERSION; the original teaching material has not had independent specialist pedagogical review. It is NOT an official SCiO publication. Some pages rehearse a defined part of a fuller approach. Technical checks distinguish errors from defensible alternatives; they do not claim to establish professional competence or accreditation.

https://transduction.systems/systems-thinking/practice/index.html