Antipatterns

Managing Software Organizations and People, Second Edition

Colin J. Neill, Philip A. Laplante, Joanna F. DeFranco

• Publisher: Auerbach Publications
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781466516564
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Betriebswirtschaft
• Subtopic: Projektmanagement

Emphasizing leadership principles and practices, Antipatterns: Managing Software Organizations and People, Second Edition catalogs 49 business practices that are often precursors to failure. This updated edition of a bestseller not only illustrates bad management approaches, but also covers the bad work environments and cultural traits commonly fou

Chapter 1

Patterns and Antipatterns

One of the ways humans solve newly encountered problems is by subconsciously applying a previously successful solution to a similar or related problem. This approach to problem-solving is variously known as analogical, allegorical, or case-based reasoning and is a well-known machine-learning technique used in artificial intelligence systems.

In case you were wondering if this really is a common problem-solving technique, think about the last time you were asked to meet a friend somewhere. Did you plot the route you were going to take, take timing measurements of each leg, contact AAA for traffic updates and delays, and then plug all these into a spreadsheet to determine when to leave your house? We suspect not. Instead, without really thinking about it, you reasoned about your previous journeys over that route, or the various legs, factoring in likely traffic conditions for that time of day to arrive at an approximate estimation suitable for the purpose. There was a chance that the estimate might be slightly off, but it was close enough. This is pattern-based problem-solving: identifying a similar situation from the past, applying the solution that worked in that situation, and modifying it appropriately for the specific context of the new problem. Of course, you might have saved yourself some effort and used MapQuest or Google Maps, but that does not fit the story.

Obviously, the flaw in this approach to problem-solving is that the solutions are not calculated; they are borne of experience. In fact, considerable experience and expertise are required before successful patterns are identified, and experience takes time; we must personally experience successes and failures to “bank” enough solutions to make us experts. And what if you are just starting out in your career or are a newly appointed manager? Where does your experience base come from?

What if, however, we could capture your experiences and those of others—successes and failures—in solving problems? Experts could then share those experiences with each other and, more importantly, with their less-experienced colleagues. While not a foolproof plan (we all know that many people refuse to learn from others’ mistakes), at least it provides an opportunity to institutionalize and catalog knowledge so that each successive generation can, if they choose, stand on the shoulders of those who came before, and hopefully progress in their chosen disciplines from a solid foundation of expertise.

Well, the goal is a noble one. So how do we achieve it? How do we capture and share personal experience in a form suitable for others, with clarity, rationale, and context such that they can be applied to new problems? That is the genius of Christopher Alexander.

1.1 A Timeless Way of Building

Alexander is an architect (and professor emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley) who realized that many medieval cities possessed a certain harmony and elegance and that, indeed, “There is one timeless way of building. It is a thousand years old and the same today as it has ever been. The great traditional buildings of the past, the villages and tents and temples in which man feels at home, have always been made by people who were very close to the center of this way. It is not possible to make great buildings, or great towns, beautiful places, places where you feel yourself, places where you feel alive, except by following this way. And, as you will see, this way will lead anyone who looks for it to buildings which are themselves as ancient in their form, as the trees and hills, and as our faces are” (Alexander et al. 1975).

In their trilogy of books, Alexander et al. (1975, 1977, 1979) explore the idea that successful architecture is essentially the application of design patterns that have been around for thousands of years, albeit not recorded. They attempted to record them and to the layperson they certainly feel right. An example is the Four-Story Limit pattern:

Four-Story Limit

Conflict : There is abundant evidence to show that high buildings make people crazy.

Resolution : In any urban area, no matter how dense, keep the majority of buildings four stories high or less. It is possible that certain buildings should exceed this limit, but they should never be buildings for human habitation.

There is little rationale for high-rise buildings beyond financial gains for landowners and banks. They destroy the landscape, promote crime, and are expensive to build and maintain; so, in the interests of community, society, and aesthetics, we should limit the height of buildings, particularly residential buildings.

(Alexander et al. 1977)

Of course, this is not a book about architecture and town planning. The point we are making is that a previously undocumented rule or principle has been documented in such a way that future architects can easily identify with and apply it in their work. This, essentially, defines the concept of a pattern.

Pattern Definitions

“Each pattern describes a problem which occurs over and over again in our environment, and then describes the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this...