SEM2007 Insights
Insights
A number of factors have impeded progress on this project. Patterns and pattern language are seductively simple concepts on the surface. It is only through trying to write patterns that the richness, depth and challenges associated with developing good patterns becomes clear. At the same time, examples of pattern languages often take quite different approaches from the original Alexandrian Pattern Language. The rationale for these differences is not always obvious. In fact, details on how individual pattern languages were developed are hard to find - most are presented in their final form. The implication is that significant time needs to be allocated so that all participants can fully understand the nuances of patterns and pattern language. 'Learning by doing' seems to be the best approach, along with frequent discussions to explore the finer details and develop a consensus appropriate to the specific project.
One of the challenges in remote collaboration is building and maintaining momentum - lack of face-to-face, rapid-fire social interaction makes it difficult to achieve a condition where "a community activity decides to come to the same place at the same time to help achieve some specific goal. ... Asynchronous Collaboration liberates us from the need of proximity, but it also weakens the bond. When the work is done, you're drinking alone and you have no one to dance with." (BarnRaising) Although a Wiki is an excellent for capturing ideas while at the same time communicating information in a structured and concise manner, it requires effort to keep abreast of changes. Wikis may be better suited to long-term maintenance of a pattern language, with more immediate social interactions better for the initial pattern language development. Since face-to-face meetings were not possible for the majority of the team, conference calls were scheduled on an ad hoc basis around specific objectives. Information from these calls was recorded in the Wiki (usually in Discussion pages) and integrated into the main Wiki pages as consensus was reached. The volume of Wiki updates has been climbing recently, raising some interesting and provocative questions. Conference calls will be scheduled around specific questions to encourage the kind of dialog that can properly explore the issues and achieve resolution.
In the initial stages, the project did not have a well-defined client who would clearly benefit from the resulting pattern language. Although the project had elements of basic research, the lack of focus made it difficult for team members to see how they could best contribute and how their contributions would be of value. Two potential clients have recently been proposed. Tom McKeag suggested that the pattern language could be useful as an educational template. Discussions are underway to determine how the pattern language could benefit elementary school students learning about ecosystems and sustainability. There have also been preliminary discussion on how businesses interested in becoming more sustainable (both internally and externally) might benefit, which raised questions on the degree to which the pattern language needs to be tailored to specific audiences.
Good patterns are devilishly difficult to write. In hindsight, the scope of the project was far too broad and ambitious, given the information and resources available. Nevertheless, applying the rigour of the patterns process to deepen our understanding of ecosystem principles has already delivered worthwhile insights, even if they are not yet documented in a form that could be properly called a pattern. The need to clearly and concisely define terms, the problem underlying the principle, and exactly how the principle solves the problem has forced the team to 'dig below the surface'. For example, the principle Ecosystems tend to create conditions favorable to sustained life raises questions about exactly what do we mean by 'life', and how the principle relates to the many examples where particular organisms actively compete with each other over scarce resources. The principle contains a paradox: classical natural selection works at the level of the organism, in that those best adapted to their environment will be more likely to pass their genes to succeeding generations. On the surface, rich, diverse and vibrant ecosystems would appear to develop in spite of natural selection. Research in complexity theory, self-organization and non-equilibrium thermodynamics are being explored that may explain how inter-dependence and symbiotic relationships may come about.
Discussion of the 'Conducive to Life' principle has also raised questions about whether this principle is the end-result of the other Life's Principles. The principle may eventually result in a high level pattern that explores the paradox and suggests a high-level strategy for resolving the contradiction. This pattern would be of value to introducing the topic at a high level to students, as well as raising awareness amongst the business community about the pitfalls of a 'competition at any cost' strategy. At the next level down, other patterns (possibility linked to the remaining Life's Principles) would provide the detail and explanation to complete or make 'whole' the 'Conducive to Life' pattern, in the sense that that there are no gaps or major overlaps. The process can be repeated to whatever level of detail the pattern language allows and the user is willing to explore. An analogy is an architect sketching the concept for a building, where many of the details are implied or hinted at, but the overall drawing is sufficient to get a sense of what the architect is trying to accomplish. Below that would be more detailed sketches relating to interior and exterior views. Yet another level of detail would describe the building systems, eventually leading to the detailed blueprints and specifications required for implementation.
Another Life's Principle states that Ecosystems tend to operate cyclically and recycle materials and nutrients. One question is the scale (both spatial and temporal) at which material loops are closed. In comparison to natural systems, most human recycling loops tend to be quite small, while the cycles themselves are short, due to the strong emphasis on the design of the recycling systems themselves. An alternative approach could focus on 'exit points' which cause the materials to become trapped or inaccessible for re-use. Here, the emphasis shifts towards the design, manufacturing, usage and disposal of of products. The approach is also consistent with McDonough's proposal on biological and technical metabolic systems, where the goal is to eliminate products made of materials that are incompatible with the two metabolic systems, or leak between systems in a way that creates hazardous conditions.
Although the team members come from many different backgrounds, the patterns process has encouraged us to communicate clearly in a way that all of us can understand, without 'dumbing down' the content. As a result, all of the team members have the opportunity to contribute. One of the strengths of the patterns process is the emphasis on collaborative dialog - Appleton emphasizes the importance of discussing patterns in writer's workshops, rather than through traditional presentations and reviews. It is only through everyone's efforts in improving the pattern that a truly good pattern will emerge.
