What’s the difference between patterns as solutions to recurring problems and patterns a la Alexander.

In his epic book A Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander defined patterns as “solutions to recurring problems in a context.”?He elaborates that “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 solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice.”

The two key phrases here are “in a context” and “without ever doing it the same way twice.” By this, he means that a pattern is implemented in a manner consistent with where it is being applied. This is why part of an Alexandrian pattern incorporates the forces of the pattern – that is, the issues that must be considered when applying the pattern.

For example, when using the porch pattern one must consider what part of the house the porch is on, what the entry to the porch is, the amount of traffic present, …

These forces are useful in determining an appropriate solution to the problem.

On page 545 of 549-page book “A Timeless Way of Building,” Alexander says, "At this final stage, the patterns are no longer important: the patterns have taught you to be receptive to what is real."

In knowledge work, “what is real” is what Eli Goldratt calls “inherent simplicity.” In The Choice, ?he said, “What I mean by Inherent Simplicity is that reality, any part of reality, is governed by very few elements, and that any existing conflict can be eliminated. If we take that as a given, as absolutely correct in every situation, we'll find ourselves thinking clearly.” "If we dive deep enough we’ll find that there are very few elements at the base - the root causes - which through cause and effect connections are governing the whole system.”

This is often called the “physics of flow.”

Amplio uses patterns this way by presenting factors for effective value streams as the pertinent forces.?

Amplio uses Alexandrian-style patterns by first defining your capabilities to be effective. It then used patterns to decide how to find the best solutions for your context.?This enables Amplio to provide solutions for your situation and, therefore, doesn’t require you to run many experiments to see what might work. In fills in the gaps of Scrum’s being “purposefully incomplete.”

This enables Amplio’s patterns to manifest the best way to manifest a required capability. See this for more.

A note on Scrum Patterns I have seen several people talk about Scrum patterns.

Scrum patterns are solutions to recurring problems. But there is no mention of how to tailor them to your context. This is because Scrum is based on empiricism without a theory to explain why Scrum works. This is why so many Scrum people state "you have to follow Scrum to understand it," often likening it to chess. But the "physics of flow" have been experienced by everyone and taking advantage of that enables understanding up front. This speeds up learning and lowers resistance. As W. Edwards Deming once remarked (paraphrased) "Theory without experience is useless, but experience without theory is expensive."

This is also why Scrum has to be immutable – there is no effective guidance on how to change it effectively.

Scrum denies such a set of insights exists arguing that we are in a complex situation and they are therefore unkonwn. This is why Scrum is based on empiricism without an underlying theory to explain why it works. Scrum patterns are solutions. For example, “do sprint planning” is a pattern. But it’s already told you what to do without telling you what the issues are to attend in order to do it. Scrum’s immutability means that regardless of your context you need to plan via sprints.

A planning pattern based on Alexander’s mindset would be more conceptual. Planning via sprints is one solution. But there are many more where planning ahead via sprint planning is not the best way to go. Amplio provides a method to tell what will best work for you.? See Sprints, Daily Timeboxing, Flow, and Cadence for more.

Scrum’s patterns are useful in providing solutions to recurring problems.?But patterns a la Alexander provide a family of solutions that vary with the context you are in.

Amplio provides a set of patterns in the form of a pattern language. These overcome another limitation of Scrum - being purposefully incomplete - which merely means people have to reinvent what's known. By providing Alexandrian patterns instead of solutions many more potential options can be presented without overloading people.

#Amplio #AmplioUniversity #ScrumFails