In the earliest presentations of FRAM, the acronym stood for Functional Resonance Accident Model. It soon became clear, however, that FRAM is a method rather than a model. The acronym therefore came to mean Functional Resonance Analysis Method.
The name was also chosen because “fram” means “forward” in Norwegian and Swedish. It reflects the purpose of the method: to move beyond simplified explanations and navigate the complexity and uncertainty of socio-technical systems.
FRAM was also the name of the ship used between 1893 and 1912 by Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, and other Norwegian explorers on expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. The ship is said to have sailed farther north and farther south than any other wooden vessel.
This history provides an appropriate metaphor for the method. Just as the ship FRAM enabled exploration under uncertain and changing conditions, the Functional Resonance Analysis Method supports the exploration of complex systems whose behaviour cannot be fully predicted in advance. FRAM does not eliminate complexity or uncertainty. It provides a way to navigate them by examining functions, interactions, performance variability, and emerging outcomes.
