Force Field Analysis

To understand the forces that drive or restrain your solutions.

To perform a Force Field Analysis:

Step 1:  Go to the Forces tool.

Step 2:  Identify and list the forces that would promote a successful solution – driving forces.

Step 3:  Identify and list the forces that would hinder it – restraining forces.

Step 4:  Assign a score to each force; from a small to a large driving force (+1 to +5) or a small to a large restraining force (-1 to -5).

Step 5:  Represent a potential solution to your problem as a horizontal line across the middle of the page.

Step 6:  Draw arrows in relation to the scale assigned to each factor. Draw driving forces as up arrows and restraining forces as down arrows.

Step 7:  Analyze the force field diagram. It is usually more effective to eliminate or diminish the restraining forces than it is to strengthen the driving forces.

Conceptual Diagram of a Force Field Analysis: