One Month, Two Projects, Many Lessons: Insights From Concurrent System Dynamics Group Model Building Approaches

Although maternal morbidity and mortality are persistent public health burdens in the U.S., few studies have addressed these outcomes from a complex systems perspective. To bridge this knowledge gap, two SD modeling projects that apply community-based system dynamics group model building (SD GMB) are ongoing. With core SD GMB meetings with community participants having taken place within the same calendar month, the close timing of these processes provided a unique opportunity for rapid learning by the research team and the adaptation of the specific approaches employed across projects. Applying tenets of reflexivity, this paper describes how SD GMB activities were conceptualized, planned, and implemented, offering reflections on the effectiveness of our approach by drawing upon our own insights about successes, failures, and apparent enigmas in each project. These reflections are described as five 'lessons' that may offer valuable insights for others engaging in the formative phase of SD GMB projects.