1. 1 Introducing 9-windows 9 Windows tree
Super-system
System
tree
Image a tree. This is the box. A tree, here and now. This gives us a moment in space – here, and a moment in time – now.
Sub-system
Space
Time
Before
During
After 1

2. 2 Super-system Sub-system Component Introducing 9-windows 9 Windows
forest
System
tree
Starting from the tree here, imagine everything that surrounds a tree. Air, birds, sun, other trees, etc. This is the first out-of-the-box; the surrounding. It is zooming out in space. Place it in the box above the tree: surrounding
Oppositely, instead of zooming out, one can zoom in in space. What are the components of a tree? Leaves , roots, branches, DNA, etc.
These are two spaces out of the box, in space, zooming out and zooming in. Place all this in the box under the tree: components.
Sub-system
Sub-system
Component
Space
natural wood
Past
present
Future
Time
Before
During
After 2

3. 3 before after Introducing 9-windows 9 Windows seed tree
Super-system
before
after
System
seed
tree
wood furniture
Oppositely, instead of zooming out, one can zoom in in space. What are the components of a tree? Leaves , roots, branches, DNA, etc.
These are two spaces out of the box, in space, zooming out and zooming in. Place all this in the box under the tree: components.
Furthermore, we can ask ourselves, what was the tree before it was tree? Seed. That is out of the box in time, place it in the box on the left of the tree.
What will the tree be after it is tree? Chair? Place that on the right, it is out of the box in time.
Sub-system
Space
Past
present
Future
Time
Before
During
After 3

4. 4 Introducing 9-windows 9 Windows earth forest Workshop seed tree
Super-system
earth
forest
Workshop
System
seed
tree
wood furniture
If we refocus on the seed, than we can think: what is the surrounding of the seed? Place that above the seed box, the components in the box below the seeds.
If we look at the chair, the surrounding could be a kitchen (above) , the components wood parts(below).
This is a full 9 window; out of the box in space and time.
Once you have filled in all boxes you can now use this in resourceful creativity. Imagine for example that the tree tends to fall due to the wind. An in the box solution would be to strengthen the trunk here and now. Out of the box could be to use the trees in the forest as connection points, or to plant stronger or deeper roots, or to take away the leaves that take the wind, etc. solutions that are in the surrounding, components are before or after.
Sub-system
Space
DNA wood
natural wood
varnished wood
Past
present
Future
Time
Before
During
After 4

5. SURROUNDING BEFORE THE BOX AFTER COMPONENTS COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
SUPER-SYSTEM
BEFORE
THE BOX
AFTER
SYSTEM
SPACE
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS
So what did we learn?
If you look at the tool you’ll see a grid of 3 by 3 boxes. The centre box contains the product or process you are working on. The horizontal axis determines time. It goes from before, present, after. The vertical axis determines space. Here we go from components to the complete surrounding.
Before you start using this tool it helps to first place the middle box in space and time. We need to know where and when we are. For example, for a product: a moment in time can be a certain point in use or production. A place can be a room in your house, a shelf in a supermarket. Just like for the Value Equation you can change the parameters in the middle box as much as you like to get different results.
The middle box is the reference in space in time. The boxes left of it move the situation of that middle box back in time. The boxes on the right move it forward in time. The boxes above the middle box zoom out to the surrounding area. The boxes below zoom in onto the components of the middle box.
The boxes that form a cross around the middle box only change in time or space. Always start with those 4. The boxes in the corners move in time and space. These will generally be a bit more challenging to fill in. That’s why we tackle them after we determined the cross. The image on this slide shows how all the boxes are connected.
SUB-SYSTEM
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS
TIME
BEFORE
PRESENT
AFTER