Quantitative models are often used to study and address sustainability challenges. However, as multiple drivers and systems interact at multiple levels, these models can be complex. To design effective policies and strategies for improving sustainability and resilience, it is important to understand which drivers are most important and which mechanisms are key to determining critical outcomes. This chapter introduces two quantitative tools to improve the traceability and transparency of the analysis: Simplified International Model of agricultural Prices, Land use, and the Environment (SIMPLE)-G1 and the minimodel. SIMPLE-G1 provides a simplified representation of agricultural production at each grid cell using one aggregate production practice that takes as its two factors of production: natural resources, human labor, and produced inputs. This framework allows for global-to-local and local-to-global feedback while retaining essential gridded biophysical and economic information. SIMPLE-G1 is helpful in identifying the most important sustainability stressors at each location. The minimodel allows for an in-depth analysis of the underlying mechanisms and allows the user to identify critical parameters by leveraging a one-way global-to-local linkage, excluding the local-to-global feedback. Together, these tools empower researchers to have a more transparent and traceable understanding of the global-local-global connections within environmental and human systems.