See also cyclical path
One of the criticisms levelled at life-cycle models is that they assume a smooth-ish progression from one relatively clearly defined phase to another to another. Life is, of course, messier. There’s a 1993 paper by Bigelow et al.
Bigelow, B., Fahey, L., Mahon, J.F., 1993. A typology of issue evolution. Business &Society 32, 18–29.
More specifically, the paper aims to explore a ‘cyclical’ issue life-cycle pattern, in which a problem moves backwards and forwards between phases as problem-related pressures go up and down and up again.
(Geels and Penna, 2015: 68)
marchudson.net 