The purpose of this paper is to present a state-of-the-art survey of the subject of system dynamics. This will include a brief historical review and an outline of the methodology, which is increasingly being recognised as having two separate phases. These are the qualitative diagram construction/analysis phase and the quantitative simulation phase. The purpose of the former is to develop a perspective on the system under study, covering its processes, information, organisational structure and strategies. Alternative types of system dynamics diagrams will be presented for this phase, the generic building blocks of these explored and some aspects of qualitative analysis discussed. The purpose of the simulation phase is to translate the system diagrams into behaviour over time. A summary of the steps of simulation analysis will be given and attention drawn to new thinking in sub-techniques and developments in simulation languages.
Ackoff, R.L.1978. The art of problem solving, Wiley, Chichester.
2.
Checkland, P.B.1983. 'O.R. and the systems movement: Mappings and conflicts , J Op Res Soc, 34, 661-675.
3.
Checkland, P.B.1987. 'The application of systems thinking in real-world problem-situations: The emergence of soft-systems methodology' in Jackson, M. C. and Keys P. (eds) New directions in management science, 87-96, Aldershot, Gower.
4.
Coyle, R.G.1977. Management System Dynamics, Wiley, Chichester.
5.
Coyle, R.G.1981. Management System Dynamics, Wiley, Chichester.
6.
Dangerfield, B. and Vapenikova, O.1987. DYSMAP2 User Manual, University of Salford, Manchester.
7.
Eden, C., Jones, S. and Sims, D.1979. Thinking in organisations, MacMillan, London.
8.
Forrester, J.W.1961. Industrial dynamics, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, USA.
9.
Forrester, J.W.1968. Principles of systems, M.I.T. Press , Cambridge, USA.
10.
Forrester, J.W.1969. Urban dynamics, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, USA.
11.
Forrester, J.W.1971. World dynamics, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, USA.
12.
Forrester, J.W., Graham, A., Senge, P. and Sterman, J.1983. An integrated approach to the economic long wave, working paper D-3447-1, System Dynamics Group M.I.T.Cambridge, USA.
13.
Keloharju, R.1983. Relativity dynamics, Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland.
14.
Keys, P.System dynamics as a system-based problem-solving methodology, Syst Dynam Rev, to appear.
15.
Lyneis, J.M.1980. Corporate planning and policy design: a system dynamic approach, MIT Press, Cambridge, USA.
16.
Meadows, D.M.1980. 'The unavoidable a priori', in Randers, J. (ed) Elements of the system dynamics method , 23-57, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, USA.
Mohapatra, P.K.J.1980. 'Part I—Structural equivalence between control system theory and system dynamics; Part II—Non—linearity in system dynamics models', Dynamica, 6 (1).
19.
Morecroft, J.D.W.1982. 'A critical review of diagramming tools for conceptualizing feedback system models', Dynamica, 8 (1).
20.
Morecroft, J.D.W.1988. 'System dynamics and microworlds for policy makers', Europ J Op Res, 35, 301-320.
21.
Mosekilde, E., Aracil, J. and Allen, P.M.1988. 'Instabilities and chaos in non-linear dynamic systems ', Sys Dynam Rev, 4 (1-2), 56-81.
22.
Pugh-Roberts Associates.1986. Professional DYNAMO introductory guide and tutorial and professional DYNAMO reference manual, Pugh-Roberts Associates , Cambridge, USA.
23.
Richardson, G.P. and Pugh, A.L.1981. Introduction to system dynamics modelling with DYNAMO , MIT Press, Cambridge, USA.
24.
Richmond, B.M., Vescuso, P. and Peterson, S.1987. STELLA for Business, High Performance Systems Publications , Lyme, USA.
25.
Roberts, E.B.1978. 'Strategies for effective implementation of complex corporate models', in Roberts, B. (ed) Managerial applications of system dynamics, ch. 4, 77-85. MIT Press, Cambridge, USA.
26.
Roberts, N. et al. 1983. Introduction to computer simulation: the system dynamics approach, Addison-Wesley, Reading, USA.
27.
Sharma, S.K.1985. Policy design in system dynamics models: some control theory applications, Doctoral Thesis submitted to theIndian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.
28.
Sterman, J.D.1984. 'Appropriate summary statistics for evaluating the historic fit of system dynamics models, DYNAMICA, 10 (11).
29.
Sterman, J.D. and Meadows, D.L.1985. 'STRATEGEM-2: A microcomputer simulation game of the Kondratiev cycle', Simulation and Games, 16 (2), 174-202.
30.
Vennix, J.A.M., Grubbels, J.W., Post, D. and Poppen, H.T.1988. 'A structured approach to knowledge acquisition in model development', paper presented to the 1988 International System Dynamics Conference, La Jolla, California, USA.
31.
Wolstenholme, E.F.1982. 'System dynamics in perspective', J Op Res Soc, 33, 547-556.
32.
Wolstenholme, E.F. and Coyle, R.G.1983. 'The development of system dynamics as a methodology for system description and qualitative analysis', J Op Res Soc , 34 (7), 569-581.
33.
Wolstenholme, E.F. and Al-Alusi, S.A.1987. 'System dynamics and heuristic optimisation in degree analysis', Sys Dynam Rev, 3 (2), 102-116.
