8 Summary of Key Points for FCM in MADE

1. MADE assumes a value as nominal. Depending on the applied threshold, the nominal value will either be 0.0 (for a trivalent threshold) or a steady state initial value between 0.0 and 1.0 (for bivalent). The perturbation applied (representing a failure) will be made in reference to this nominal value.
2. Values above nominal represent a high failure mode; values below represent a low failure mode.
3. When MADE runs an FCM simulation, it identifies items in the system that have failed (high or low) and items that have remained at a nominal level of operation.
4. Each simulation iterates in time-steps. At each time-step the operation A^(t-1)·W + P = A^t is completed.
5. A^(t-1) is the previous value of the flow.
6. W is the causal connections between flows.
7. P is any perturbation (failure) impacting the flow.
8. A^t is the current (at the end of the time-step) state of the flow.
9. At the end of each time-step a threshold may be applied. The threshold acts on the A^t vector.
10. The simulation will be completed when equilibrium is reached (i.e. when A^t = A^(t-1)).