Prepared for Adapt Peacebuilding Colombia, February 2021 

Introduction

Systemic action research typically requires anywhere from 100 – 300+ life stories to provide data for analysis. The aim of the participatory life story analysis (systems mapping) is to provide evidence to identify the core themes for the action research groups. The community researchers that collect the life stories are typically the same people that conduct the analysis. 

The method of analysis involves identifying critical ‘factors’ (events which have causes and consequences) and understanding how they causally relate to each other. This is done by reading stories, identifying factors in them, and linking them with arrows in small system maps – “mini-maps”. These are later integrated into large system maps – “meta-maps”. 

Training in this methodology is typically provided to the teams in advance of workshops, in which the process of analysis takes place. Participants also learn by doing in the workshop. Typically training in analysis and the analysis workshop takes place in person. Experience during the covid-19 pandemic has illustrated that these activities can be successfully be done remotely also. 

Process outline

We will be carrying out a causal and systemic analysis. We are trying to understand critical events in the life stories of those who have been interviewed, what they were caused by, and what the consequences have been. By mapping chains of causality and feedback loops, it is possible to see how some things lead to other things, and how patterns of causality can either drive change or maintain stability for better or worse. This helps us to understand possible opportunities to intervene in the system towards a desired change, which depends upon the specific issues that we are interested in.

The process of story analysis begins with pairs or small groups collectively analysing 12-15 stories and producing their own “mini-map”. In total we aim to analyse about 300 in the course of one (or several) workshops for a complete analysis. This means, for example, that 20 pairs of participants would create 20 mini-maps based on 15 stories each, 10 pairs would create 10 maps based on 30 stories each, etc. How many stories can be analysed and how many mini-maps will be produced in this stage is a decision that has to be made for each process depending upon how many participants are available, and how much time people have. 

When the mini-maps of each of the pairs or small groups is combined, the connections and patterns that run across all 300 stories are drawn. The most common causal connections that exist access multiple life stories and important patterns (loops) are identified, and their role in the system is discussed. 

Participants are also encouraged to discuss the factors (or patterns of factors) that are having the biggest positive or negative influence on the system, how particular factors relate to particular issues, how issues relate to each other, and the importance of other information that they have identified, including actors, factual information, areas of disagreement, suggested solutions or solutions that have or haven’t worked, etc. Ultimately the purpose of life story analysis is to identify what action research groups will work on, and how, which involves identifying opportunities for intervention and theories of change. 

All together this process typically takes 4-5 days, which can be split across several weeks. Each context has specific contextual requirements that need to be taken into account, including childcare availability, security considerations and ethical concerns, logistics and timing issues, and biomedical safety.Life story analysis requires careful planning and training, although participants can and often do learn best by doing it.

Analysis workshop planning 

Identification of story analysers: Like in the collection of life stories, the participants for life story analysis should be people who have some experience of the issues in question. Sometimes this involves identity dimensions. For example, if the issues in our stories that we are concerned about affect women or ethnic minorities in particular ways, we expect that these people will be included in the analysis. 

Sometimes we invite those whose stories have been collected to participate in the analysis. Participants who have told their stories should not be in the group where their own story is being analysed, and can request that their story not be analysed. This has dangers of re-traumatisation and also breaks rules of confidentiality. In cases where someone’s life situation challenges their participation – for example disability, childcare responsibilities, or illiteracy – we adapt the methodology or provide support to make sure that they can participate.

Payment: Payment is not made to participants for their time, though resources are made available to support participation, such as travel, food, and childcare costs. 

Facilitation: for analysis processes of 10-30 people, typically two facilitators are necessary, though it can be done with one. The roles of the facilitator are to manage the process of the workshop, provide training and ongoing mentoring, manage the time, provide the materials and data ready for analysis, answer questions, record the proceedings as necessary, look after the outputs, and conduct the necessary followup from the workshop. International support is sometimes made available remotely to provide mentoring during workshops in cases where international travel is not possible. 

Training: Training will be provided to the facilitators in advance, and potentially to some or all of the participants. In many cases, participants learn in the same workshop that they do the analysis in. More detailed materials are available in the form of powerpoint presentations that explain how to do the mapping. 

Example life story analysis process in multiple workshops

The life story analysis can take place in several stages. Exactly how the stages are split and how much time it takes depends on how many people are involved, how long the stories are, what the capacity and energy of participants is, and various other factors that are specific to the context. An example might be:

(1) three hour training and a small pilot of story analysis (the pilot can be used to adjust expectations for the entire analysis process)

(2) 15 pairs analyse 20 life stories in one day to produce mini-maps

(3) one day to produce a meta-map and develop theories of change

(4) two hours of follow up meetings to develop action research groups (this is usually combined with action research training)

Story analysis is likely to require multiple workshops over at least two weeks.

Documentation: The process should be documented. A person or pair is allocated to record in detail all plenary discussions and take detailed notes of discussions. As per the story collection, we advise that detailed notes of the discussion are taken by hand and that this is backed up with audio. Documentation is essential to capture learning and how decisions were made.

System maps will be created on paper using pens and sticky notes. In some cases the maps, or important parts of them, are transferred into Miro. Whether and how this happens depends on the needs of the process, including the potential roles of outside observers, as well as the time and resources available.

Practical considerations

Life story analysis normally takes place in a large public space where between 10 and 40 participants can create laps up to ten meters across. Organisers will need to arrange a hall that is big enough for a 10 meter long paper wall (made up of multiple flip chart sheets). Consider whether social distancing is required and increase the hall size accordingly. 

Ensure that each pair or small group has at least one ball point pen for analysing written life stories. Each pair will also need at least one set of marker pens (black, blue, red, green) for creating systems maps. Also ensure that you have a large number of flip chart sheets. You will probably need 50+ per workshop. Make sure you have sticky notes. 

Ensure that the life stories are collated and coded in advance to that they are pre-allocated to these groups. Make sure that all stories have been anonymised in advance. All names of people and names of locations should be taken out. Sometimes the life stories are transcribed and typed up or even translated, but this is only necessary when the life stories are not legible, or when people who don’t speak the local language need to review them (e.g. donors or international team members). 

Prepare a spreadsheet to capture clustered sticky notes and their story codes.

One copy of all stories should be printed out in advance and pre allocated to trios. Ensure that there are multiple copies of two stories for collective practise. All stories should be printed in the local language. 

Ensure transport is arranged for where appropriate.

Organise consents of participants.

Organise a system for payment of transport, food, and other costs as appropriate.

Workshop plan

Participants are trained in the key stages of the analysis process. The training can take place before the analysis workshop – at least for facilitators or team members. Most participants more commonly learn how to conduct analysis during the workshop itself. The training materials provide further detail on these key stages of life story analysis: 

1. Introduction to concepts of systems thinking, including factors, relationships between factors, causes and effects, and feedback loops
2. Explanation of life story analysis: all the types of information we identify in life stories, how to identify factors in life stories, what their causes and consequences are, what colours and symbols we use, and how to map all of this
3. Description of what a factor is, including the appropriate level of scale. Demonstration of how to move between levels of scale from individual life stories to meta-maps. How many factors per story
4. Collective practice of life story analysis and systems mapping 
5. Divide participants into pairs or small groups 
6. The small groups have instructions (a) to write on two sticky notes what they consider to be the top two things that the story is telling us about. (b) to produce a small system map for each of the stories. All of the key causal factors in the map will be identified and an arrow added showing which factor caused which outcome.
7. Clustering of sticky notes
8. Group discussion of the main issues identified, which were positive and negative, areas of disagreement, potential solutions. and any other observations of interest
9. Small group work to produce a big system map which combines all of the linkages between factors on the small maps, being respectful of social distancing protocols as needed
10. Group discussion to identify the top 20 or so relationships between factors, verify the actual number of stories that these relate to, and thicken the lines on the map to enable the important patterns and dynamics to emerge. 
11. Another group discussion of the key factors that are driving the outcomes that the groups think are the most strongly represented in the stories (positive and negative). Identification of the loops that are evident in the mapping, and the functions that these loops have in the system
12. Presentation of approaches to identify possible actions, including identifying leverage, multiple causal connections, questions of agency, networks and relationships, evidence of potential solutions, loop-based strategies, and theories of change
13. Small group work to identify where actions might have an effect and decisions on the key issues for action research groups. Usually 2-3 actions per action research group and 2-3 action research groups (4+ actions in total)
14. Small group work to develop theories of change related to each of these actions
15. Plenary discussion to plan subsequent activities, such as action research training and action research group formation

The following is an indicative agenda for a 5 day workshop. The process can be done in as little as 3 days if remote support is available before and after. These sessions may be broken up over multiple days and weeks as needed.