UPDATE: We are merging this project into the old Tool for Systemic Change system, itself renamed to 'decidodeck'
See https://github.com/EventideSystems/decidodeck
Adaptive strategy infrastructure for living Theories of Change
NOTE: We are in the early stages of developing this new platform.
Please consider the README and associated documentation as aspirational - any feedback on what we are trying to achieve is highly appreciated.
Decidodeck is an open-source change management platform that helps teams and organizations design, adapt, and reflect on complex Theories of Change. It blends familiar outcome-mapping techniques with practical facilitation tools to explore complex situations, highlight tensions, and keep track of how things connect and shift over time.
While many tools emphasize logic models or diagram-centric planning, Decidodeck is built for fluidity, emergence, and adaptive learning. It's particularly useful when strategies must evolve in response to shifting conditions, power dynamics, or stakeholder needs.
Decidodeck draws on tools and techniques from across disciplines - business planning, software development, manufacturing, and systems thinking - reshaping them to support strategy that stays clear but flexible.
It weaves together methods like logic modeling, agile workflows, and systems analysis, reimaging them as facilitation tools that invite emotional insight, evolving perspectives, and shared meaning-making.
The result is a platform that doesn’t just map outcomes - it invites teams to tune into misalignment, trace shifts, and reshape strategy as the terrain unfolds.
Most Theory of Change processes aim to map how change is expected to happen. But in complex systems, change doesn't always follow a linear path - and the assumptions beneath our models can drift.
Decidodeck creates a clear yet adaptable space where teams can:
- Lay out their thinking and how outcomes are connected
- Stay attuned to shifts in strategy and emotional direction
- Make sense of complex situations together, especially in uncertain times
- Notice side effects, emerging tensions, or when things start to veer off track
- Rethink plans collectively through guided conversations
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Shared Workspaces
Work collaboratively in a common space where your team can build strategy, stay aligned on goals, and make decisions collaboratively as things evolve.
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Stakeholder Management
Identify and understand the people and organizations that matter to your strategy, their connections, influences, potential conflicts and opportunities for collaboration.
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Outcome Mapping + Drift Tracking
Track how your intended outcomes evolve over time - spot where things stay aligned, and where they begin to shift, stretch, or stray.
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Tool and Process Library
Store, remix, and document frameworks used across your organization. Choose the right tools for the moment, adapt as needed, and keep evolving practice within your team.
For more details, refer to our design documentation →
- Strategy and program evaluation professionals working in complex systems
- Funders and grantees seeking participatory evaluation methods
- Social justice orgs rethinking traditional planning formats
- Cross-disciplinary teams who want a shared, reflective space for change modeling
Decidodeck is more than a planning tool - it’s built on the understanding that change is complex and often messy. It recognizes that strategy involves emotion, that contradictions can spark new insights, and that learning rarely follows a straight path.
Instead of chasing clarity for its own sake, Decidodeck holds space for complexity and desire. It helps teams map not only what they aim to do - but also what they're not willing to betray in the process.
This is strategy with care. With contradiction. With ghosts. Read the full document →
Decidodeck welcomes contributors from design, strategy, and open-source backgrounds. All source code and design documentation are available for adaptation and reuse.
Before contributing, please familiarize yourself with the project's License and Code of Conduct.