3.4 Final diagram
You may wish to refer back to the WWP case study as you work through the activity on this page.
For a printable A4 size copy of this diagram, click on ‘View document’.
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Activity 4 Construct a multiple cause diagram
Choose one of the following.
- Choose an event associated with the South African Working for Water Programme (you could choose the ‘implementation of WWP’ as in the animated tutorial, or something a little different as a starting point, like ‘review of WWP’ or ‘cultivation of invasive species’ etc.)
- Choose a particularly significant event, such as an implementation of a programme of institutional change or the outbreak of violent conflict, which you are familiar with.
Construct a multiple cause diagram following the guidelines below.
- Trace the various agencies of change that brought about the event.
- Explore any consequences (either intended or unintended) arising from the chosen event and map these out as variables/ events on your diagram.
- Encircle those variables or events that you feel are particularly significant.
- Explore any interconnections between variables on your diagram.
- Try and identify any causal loops either inhibiting or reinforcing activities shown on your diagram.
Examine your final diagram and make short notes of where significant points of intervention might be identified to ensure action to promote or prevent the event being examined.