# Interaction Map

Participants map key actors in a defined system and draw coded lines to visualize information, resource flows, or friction points. The group then analyzes the network to identify systemic bottlenecks and strategic priorities.

**Time:** 60 minutes. 60 minutes matches the minimum standard duration from source evidence (60 to 120 minutes).
**People:** 6 to 20. Subgroups of 3 to 5 people working on parallel system maps, or a single working circle for small cohorts.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Map and analyze visible relationships, communication paths, and resource flows between actors within a defined system.
**Use it when:** Use when a team or community initiative involves multiple groups and needs to clarify how communication and resources actually move between them.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the working context is a single internal team with simple linear workflows, where a basic flowchart or RACI matrix is more appropriate.

## Materials and tools

- Roll of butcher paper or large poster sheets (1 per subgroup)
- Sticky notes in 3 distinct colors (1 pad per subgroup)
- Fine and medium tip markers in 4 colors: black, blue, green, red (1 set per subgroup)
- Low-tack masking tape or pushpins
- Timer

## Before participants arrive

1. Define and post the focal question or boundary of the system being mapped (for example: How do local groups, service providers, and residents exchange support during emergency housing requests?).
2. Tape large paper sheets onto open wall spaces or tables with room for groups of 3 to 5 to stand around them.
3. Distribute sticky notes and colored markers to each station.

## Say this to open

Today we will construct an interaction map for our project. We will identify the main actors involved, map how information and resources pass between them, and locate where handoffs work well or break down. We will work in small teams, create visual networks on paper, and finish by analyzing what needs improvement.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce scope and define conventions (5 minutes)

State the system boundary clearly. Explain the line-coding legend on the board: solid black arrow for direct information flow, green arrow for budget or material exchange, and dashed red line for friction or delay. Review the neutral example.

### 2. Brainstorm actors (10 minutes)

Subgroups spend 5 minutes silently writing actors on sticky notes (one person, organization, or department per note), using the guiding prompt: 'Who is directly or indirectly involved in this system?' Teams spend the remaining 5 minutes clustering duplicates and arranging key actors across their butcher paper.

### 3. Draw connections and flows (15 minutes)

Teams draw directed arrows between actor notes using the agreed color codes. Arrows must show the direction of flow. For two-way exchanges, draw distinct arrows in both directions. Label critical links with a 1 or 2 word note (such as 'quarterly report' or 'grant funds').

### 4. Analyze bottlenecks and disconnects (15 minutes)

Subgroups review their completed map against three diagnostic checks: Which actors have only outgoing or incoming lines? Where do red friction lines concentrate? Which actor serves as an overloaded sole bottleneck? Teams flag up to 3 priority intervention spots with circle stickers or marker stars.

### 5. Cross-group gallery walk (10 minutes)

Participants circulate to view other subgroup maps for 5 minutes. Reconvene as a full room. Take 1 brief observation from each subgroup highlighting a surprise connection or systemic gap.

### 6. Debrief and synthesize actions (5 minutes)

Facilitate a structured debrief using the prepared questions. Collect verbal summaries of immediate operational changes to test.


## Debrief questions

- Which actor or link emerged as more central than expected?
- Where does information or resource flow stop completely or experience severe delay?
- What is one connection we can establish, simplify, or repair in the next month?

**Finished output:** A visible system map documenting actors, resource flows, information links, and marked structural bottlenecks, photographed or recorded for action planning.

## Remote

Use an online canvas tool such as Miro or Mural. Pre-populate template frames with the legend (information, resource, friction) and sticky notes. Form breakout rooms of 3 to 5 participants. Each room works simultaneously on their canvas frame before returning to the main room for canvas screen-sharing.

## Hybrid

Place remote participants together in a dedicated digital breakout group using the online whiteboard, while in-person participants work on wall paper. During cross-group sharing, project the digital canvas to the physical room and livestream physical maps via a mobile camera.

## Access and participation choices

- Provide high-contrast markers and allow participants with mobility considerations to map from seated table positions rather than wall charts.
- Offer varied roles inside subgroups: note writer, flow drawer, or verbal contributor, so anyone uncomfortable with sketching can participate fully.
- Participants may decline to map sensitive political relationships by focusing strictly on formal administrative workflows.

## If the session gets stuck

**The map becomes an unreadable web of intersecting lines.**

Ask groups to move sticky notes closer together to shorten lines, or limit each pair of actors to their two most critical interactions.

**Participants disagree over whether a relationship is positive or broken.**

Instruct the group to draw both: a green or black arrow for formal transactions and a dashed red line showing the experienced friction point.


## Terms used here

- System boundary: The defined scope that limits which actors and activities are included in this specific analysis.
- Bottleneck: A point where workflow or communication narrows and causes delay or failure for other actors.

## Participant material: Interaction Map Reference Card

System Boundary: [State the initiative or process under review]

Guiding Question:
Who is directly or indirectly involved in this system?

Line Legend:
- Solid Black Arrow: Information flow (reports, notifications, requests)
- Solid Green Arrow: Resource flow (funding, equipment, staffing)
- Dashed Red Line: Friction point, conflict, or recurring delay

Diagnostic Questions for Step 4:
1. Which actors are disconnected or receive no direct communication?
2. Where does a single actor handle too many critical pathways?
3. Which flow causes the most frequent blockages?

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Participatory Methods (participatorymethods.com), which describes the Interaction Map activity for visualizing relationships, flows, and systemic bottlenecks.

Retained core mechanics from Participatory Methods: identifying actors, writing cards, connecting flows with distinct visual symbols, and collective diagnostic analysis. Standardized duration to a tight 60-minute agenda (from the original 60-120 minute range), added subgroup sizing, defined explicit color-coded line types, and provided structured step timings and scripts.

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/interaction-map/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/interaction-map/