Causal Loop Diagrams

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter introduces Causal Loop Diagrams. We explore what exactly Causal Loop Diagrams are, describe how you can use them, take a step back to consider common issues and ‘tricks of the trade’, as well as present a brief history of the development of the method. This chapter can be viewed as a companion to Chap. 10.1007/978-3-031-01919-7_8 on System Dynamics; these two methods are closely related. Causal Loop Diagrams emerged from Systems Dynamics practice, and though it is a systems mapping method in its own right now, it is still often used as a stepping-stone to the development of System Dynamics models.