The SiD Method: Overview

The SiD Method is a five-step cycle that transforms complex sustainability challenges into actionable roadmaps. Think of it like planning a holiday: you set goals, map the territory, understand the journey, plan your route, and evaluate whether it takes you where you want to go.

The SiD Method uses a simple analogy to explain its core process. Imagine you want to go on holiday. First, you decide what you want: nice weather, great food, friendly people. That is goal setting. Next, you look at a map to find places where those conditions exist. That is system mapping. Then you step back and consider: where am I now, and what would the journey to each of those places look like? That is system understanding. Fourth, you plan the actual trip: the route, the stops, the logistics. That is solutioning and roadmapping. Finally, you evaluate: is this really what I want? Is cycling over the Andes realistic for a short holiday? That is evaluation. If the answer is no, you adjust your goals and start the cycle again.

This is exactly how SiD works. You cycle through five steps, constantly adjusting all aspects of the process until you find both a destination and a journey that work.

The Five Steps

1. Goals and Indicators. Define what you want to achieve, at the system level, with boundary conditions and key performance indicators.
2. System Mapping. Create graphical representations of the system across space, time, and context to reveal its structure and dynamics.
3. System Understanding. Step back and immerse yourself in the maps. Through reflection, discussion, and play, develop an intuitive grasp of how the system behaves.
4. Solutioning and Roadmapping. Find solutions at system, network, and object levels. Combine them into a phased roadmap with timelines, milestones, and stakeholder governance.
5. Evaluate and Iterate. Compare your solutions against your goals. Determine whether to refine and cycle again, or move forward to implementation.

The SiD Mountain

The SiD Mountain is a diagram that shows how reductionist and holistic thinking combine during the method process. You begin at the base, working bottom-up through object-level categories (using the ELSI stack) to inventory the system. As you rise through the network level, you analyze parameters like connectivity, transparency, and diversity. Patterns emerge. Eventually, you reach the system level, where you can assess resilience, autonomy, and harmony.

Standing at the top of the mountain, you have a panoramic view. This is the holistic perspective: you can see possible solutions and plot a roadmap to where you want to be. Then you descend back down, translating systemic goals into network solutions and finally into concrete object-level implementations: physical designs, engineering decisions, feasibility studies.

The bottom-up ascent is reductionist thinking assembling holistic insight. The top-down descent is holistic vision guiding practical action. These two perspectives meet in the network level, where the meaning of parameters may differ depending on which direction you approach from. That tension is productive. It deepens understanding and guides the entire process.

Iterative by Design

The method is not a single pass. You cycle through it multiple times, each time going deeper. Early cycles are broad and exploratory: rough goals, sketch maps, initial impressions. Later cycles are precise and detailed: refined indicators, quantitative analysis, engineered solutions. In multi-day co-creation sessions, teams typically complete three or more full cycles.

The proportioning of time across cycles follows a natural pattern. Early cycles are short, covering all five steps quickly to establish orientation. Middle cycles are longer, spending more time on mapping and understanding. Final cycles focus on solutioning, roadmapping, and evaluation. This structure ensures that the process converges toward actionable outcomes rather than spiraling into endless analysis.