Part 5: Phase Three
Strand 2: Conceptualising a Whole Systems Approach
Video
Learning Objectives
After watching this section, you should be able to:
- Describe the purpose of Phase Three and the process used in the stakeholder workshop
- Explain what a systems map is and how it is produced
- Identify how feedback loops can show how unhealthy behaviours are reinforced within a system
Key Points
- Phase Three brings stakeholders together in a half-day workshop to map the local system causing obesity
- The main output is a systems map: a visual representation of the factors driving obesity and the feedback loops connecting them
- Maps are typically created collaboratively using post-its on flipchart paper, then digitised using specialist software
- Feedback loops — for example, unhealthy food purchases increasing business profits, which fund more marketing, which increases purchases — show how problems can be self-reinforcing
- Facilitation is a key component: the guide provides detailed resources including invitation templates, workshop slides, and facilitator notes
Further Reading
- Whole systems approach to obesity: a guide to support local approaches (Public Health England / Leeds Beckett, 2019) — the PHE guide covering Phase Three in detail, including how to use system maps to identify priorities and plan coordinated action across stakeholders
- Human Learning Systems — resources on building shared understanding across organisations and communities; supports the relational and sense-making work central to Phase Three of the WSA
Knowledge Check
Complete the questions below before moving on.
What is the main output of the Phase Three workshop in the whole systems approach?
The correct answer is A systems map showing the local factors that contribute to obesity and how they interact. The Phase Three workshop brings stakeholders together to map the local system causing obesity. The main output is a systems map — produced collaboratively using tools such as post-its on flipchart paper and then rendered in dedicated software — that visually represents the factors driving obesity and the feedback loops connecting them.
- False — whilst information may be reported to senior leaders, the primary output of the workshop is the systems map.
- True
- False — policy recommendations may emerge later; Phase Three is specifically about mapping the system.
- False — performance targets are not the focus of Phase Three.