Alan O'Callaghan is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at De Montfort University in its Software Technologies Research Laboratory. Through contract research with industrial concerns, and through industry-based consultancy, he has developed the ADAPTOR pattern language for migrating large-scale business systems to Object Technology.

Linda Rising is well known throughout the patterns community as the editor of The Patterns Handbook. She was among those who led the introduction of patterns into AG Communication Systems in Phoenix Arizona, and has worked with others to capture these experiences in the Introducing Technology into the Workplace patterns.

Those who have used and/or written patterns are most likely aware that this literary form, and its corresponding process and community support, is providing potential for capturing best practices and communicating them between people in organizations and throughout the software industry. However, it is also quite likely that these same individuals have experienced some difficulty in convincing others in their organizations of this potential.

The spark for patterns in an organization most often begins with one or more enlightened individuals who has heard about or used patterns and is intrigued over their potential. It then becomes the task of these individuals to enlighten the rest of the organization. It is likely to be an easier undertaking if one has an understanding of the problems that may be encountered along the way and what can be done to address these problems.

Work towards documenting these problems and solutions in the form of patterns was begun by David DeLano and Linda Rising of AG Communication Systems in Arizona during their Introducing Patterns into the Workplace workshop at OOPSLA'96. The patterns were later expanded to Introducing Technology into the Workplace.

Patterns are being mined for this language, primarily at workshops held at various conferences such as OT'2000 (in the UK), ChiliPLoP, and EuroPLoP. The stories of those who have tried to convince others of patterns, or any new technology or idea, is an excellent source for these patterns, their instances of use, and the feedback needed to produce a quality language. Therefore, the growing collection of patterns in this language will be the work of many individuals and will, in turn, provide help to those who attempt to introduce a new technology into their organizations.

The goal of this OOPSLA event is to mine and draft potential patterns. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences introducing patterns (or any new idea or technology) into an organization, and begin to draft their experiences into patterns for the Introducing Patterns into Organizations language.

Introducing Patterns into the Workplace

Introducing Technology into the Workplace

Evolving a Patterns Culture

ChiliPLoP Hot Topic

• The session will begin with an introduction to the topic and a general discussion of the patterns written to date.
• New patterns will be mined:
  • Notes for potential patterns (on the flipchart papers) will be discussed.
  • Additional challenges will be brainstormed and recorded on flipchart papers. Each piece of paper will contain one challenge.
  • Potential solutions to each of the challenges will be brainstormed and recorded, in a different colored ink, on the same paper as the challenge.
  • Other factors, such as context, consequences and relationships between patterns will also be noted on each paper.
  • Some potential patterns, to record the information on the papers, will be drafted.
• Patterns submitted by the participants will be workshopped.
• Relationships between existing and potential patterns will be explored.
• The session will conclude by summarizing what was accomplished and identifying the patterns yet to be written and the work yet to be done.

Prior to the conference, each potential participant will study the patterns in the Introducing Patterns into the Organization language and submit a new pattern draft for the language. These will be posted on the web, and all participants will be asked to read all these drafts before the event.

Introducing any new technology or idea, such as patterns, into an organization can be difficult. Therefore, the problems and solutions for tackling this task are being captured in a pattern language called Introducing Patterns into Organizations. Work began on this language at OOPSLA'96 and has continued throughout the past few years. The goal of this event is to mine more patterns. Participants will be encouraged to share experiences introducing patterns (or any new idea or technology) into an organization. They will be given the opportunity to draft their experiences into patterns which can then be added to this language.