TRIGGER

Charles François (2004). TRIGGER, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3646.

Collection	International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics
Year	2004
Vol. (num.)	2(2)
ID	◀ 3646 ▶
Object type	General information

Some stimulus or disturbance which produces a chain of responses in a system.

Different from a simple stimulus, the trigger starts a whole process, which may propagate itself far from the first receiver and during a long time, including effects whose relation with the first impact is far from obvious.

The trigger process is sometimes at first appearently insignificant. While it may not be clearly perceived, nor understood when it happens, it has sometimes the potential to wholly transform or even destroy a system.

In risk analysis or assessment , a good study of as many as possible typical trigger incidents leads to a better earlier forecasting potentiality of possible disasters (or in cases, positive developments) in the making.