What is a Rich Picture?

What is the role of rich pictures in SSM
Vinod kumar

A rich picture shows your thinking in an easy way. Basically it's an individuals perspective of the problem / situation. In different countries where there are language barriers, rich pictures are helpful to communicate between stakeholders.

Use of Rich Picture
Suleiman Saker

A rich picture is a tool that helps people view the state of the situation from a worldview. It facilitates the discussion since using drawings allows the participants to express the idea as in reality. The process of drawing the rich picture requires the facilitator to have excellent analytical skills and abilities to understand the culture and the politics within the situation which is required for the next stages.

Use of Rich Pictures according to Checkland and Wilson
Steve McIntosh, Business Consultant, United Kingdom, Member

Checkland suggests that rich pictures are used in the comparison phase of his 7-Stage model of SSM (see above Steps in ..., #5).
Wilson, however, suggests that RPs are used to identify "issues" which will inform your selection of relevant systems to model.