Abstract for: Advancing the Methods for Informing Group Model Building Subscript Design Decisions and Script Adaptations

This paper builds on the proposed idea of unit testing--a framework equipping system dynamics practitioners with a set of considerations in the design of group model building (GMB) workshops to accommodate cross-cultural contexts. Two separate streams of work were conducted to refine a typology of sub-script design decisions and to inform the development of standardized unit testing protocols. We describe the process of eliciting sub-script design decisions from a cohort of practitioners and students applying GMB in community settings, and describe the ongoing process of refining these design decisions through a multi-stage adaptation of a Delphi method. The resulting revised typology is presented along with results from unit testing experiments. The paper closes with a discussion of future directions for improving this subscript design decision concept and formalizing of the Unit Testing protocol as a regularly employed design tool for GMB practice.