Diagnostic canvas prototype
A problem-led, editable one-page worksheet with selective deeper analytical views.
Start with a problem, not a theory
This experimental prototype translates the practitioner field guide into a single worksheet. Fill six simple prompts, open a deeper view only when necessary, and export your work. It does not store your content on a server. Edits remain in the current browser tab until exported.
Resources enable operations; operations produce outcomes. Rules guide decisions, and observations can change future behavior.
Select an intervention type to highlight where it acts. An intervention may cross multiple regions.
Arrows denote a useful interpretation of dependencies and regulation. They do not assert that every resource is a stock, that every relationship is causal, or that every organization follows one universal configuration.
Fill out the diagnosis
Start with the problem, not a theory. Fill only what helps you reach a justified decision. The numbered prompts are not mandatory sequential stages.
What outcome repeatedly occurs?
Who participates, who is affected, and what is outside?
What might reproduce the outcome?
What supports this, and what could falsify it?
For whom is the outcome beneficial or harmful?
Who can change what, and how would we learn?
Distinguish observed, source-supported, hypothesized and unknown claims. Give at least one alternative explanation.
Who chose the problem, metrics and rules? Who may challenge them? Expand the boundary if this changes the diagnosis.
Need a deeper view?Choose a lens only when it may change a meaningful diagnosis or decision.
Which resources, actors and dependencies matter?
Check: Would a missing coordination channel explain the problem?
Example loaded. Work stays in this browser tab; export it to keep a copy.
What this prototype tests
- Can someone reach a defensible diagnosis without prior VSM, IAD, 4EM or systems-theory training?
- Can optional analytical views improve reasoning without overwhelming the initial worksheet?
- Can the practitioner separate causal hypotheses from evidence, account for affected parties, and propose testable changes?
The example is hypothetical, not a documented claim about journalism or platform algorithms. See the field guide and validation protocol.