Pattern of Things — Field noteshttps://patternofthings.com/Patterns and stories for seeing the systems around you.enFixes that failhttps://patternofthings.com/patterns/fixes-that-fail/https://patternofthings.com/patterns/fixes-that-fail/The solution works. Then its side effects bring the problem back.Shifting the burdenhttps://patternofthings.com/patterns/shifting-the-burden/https://patternofthings.com/patterns/shifting-the-burden/An easy response can weaken the capacity to solve the underlying problem.Limits to growthhttps://patternofthings.com/patterns/limits-to-growth/https://patternofthings.com/patterns/limits-to-growth/The engine keeps accelerating. The constraint begins to dominate.Drifting goalshttps://patternofthings.com/patterns/drifting-goals/https://patternofthings.com/patterns/drifting-goals/The gap disappears because the definition of success has moved.Escalationhttps://patternofthings.com/patterns/escalation/https://patternofthings.com/patterns/escalation/Each side tries to feel safer. Together, they raise the stakes.Success to the successfulhttps://patternofthings.com/patterns/success-to-the-successful/https://patternofthings.com/patterns/success-to-the-successful/An early lead attracts resources that make the next lead more likely.The commons dilemmahttps://patternofthings.com/patterns/commons/https://patternofthings.com/patterns/commons/Individual use adds up. The rules determine what happens next.Growth & underinvestmenthttps://patternofthings.com/patterns/growth-and-underinvestment/https://patternofthings.com/patterns/growth-and-underinvestment/Capacity arrives late. Lost demand can make that shortage look permanent.A traffic jam. No bottleneck.https://patternofthings.com/stories/traffic-without-a-bottleneck/https://patternofthings.com/stories/traffic-without-a-bottleneck/Twenty-two cars, a circular road, and an invisible wave traveling backward.The orders already on their wayhttps://patternofthings.com/stories/orders-already-on-their-way/https://patternofthings.com/stories/orders-already-on-their-way/Why an empty shelf is only part of the inventory story.Whose system are we improving?https://patternofthings.com/stories/whose-system/https://patternofthings.com/stories/whose-system/The most consequential choice may happen before the first diagram.The commons people learned to governhttps://patternofthings.com/stories/commons-people-govern/https://patternofthings.com/stories/commons-people-govern/Shared resources have more than one possible future.The connections that carry failurehttps://patternofthings.com/stories/connections-and-failure/https://patternofthings.com/stories/connections-and-failure/Why more connectivity can help in one situation and hurt in another.When predictions change their worldhttps://patternofthings.com/stories/when-predictions-change-the-world/https://patternofthings.com/stories/when-predictions-change-the-world/A model’s output can become part of its next input.