VMODEL
UNDERSTANDING VMODEL


HOW DOES A VMODEL MODEL EXPLAIN A CHANGE?

Every Vmodel model should explain at least one change. The change or changes you are explaining are in your model target.

When you make a Vmodel model, you talk about how processes change the basic objects in your model.

When a process changes something, it changes something specific about that thing that is measurable. (For example, the process growing changes something measurable about a plant--its height. Height is a measurable describer of the plant.)

Processes increase or decrease measurables. Use increases or decreases arrows to show this.

Sometimes, when one thing goes up, another thing that is related to it goes up too. For example, the taller the plant gets, the longer its shadow is. Or when one thing goes up, another thing goes down in the same way. For example, when the shadow gets longer, less area beneath the plant gets direct sunlight.

You show these automatic relationships using the influences and opposite influences arrows.

It can be chained together with other influences and influences opposite links to show how when one thing changes, other things change as a result of that.

Notice the difference between increases and influences. The influences link means that if there is a change in one measurable there will be a change in the other. But that doesn't make the change happen. Unless the first one is changing, the other one will not change. The only way to get one to change is to use a process and an increases or a decreases arrow.

In this example, the process growing increases the height, which makes the length of shadow go up with it, which makes the amount of sunshine under the plant go down.

All changes in Vmodel models start at processes!

Help on how to make and understand a Vmodel model
Help on the model building blocks

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