Organizational patterns are known as the basis for Agile software development movement. Patterns usually form a network having relationships among them to support users understand and utilize patterns efficiently and effectively. However little is known about the nature of pattern networks, such as how are organizational patterns different from other patterns from the viewpoint of centrality. To clarify such characteristics, we mine a network consisting 285 patterns including 15 organizational patterns from an existing online pattern repository called Portland Pattern Repository. By applying network analysis techniques to the mined network, we revealed several interesting characteristics of the pattern network and organizational patterns such as that the degree centrality seems to somewhat reflect the commonness and generality of the corresponding pattern.

1. Network Analysis for Software Patterns
including Organizational Patterns in
Portland Pattern Repository
Hironori Washizaki† Masashi Kadoya†
Yoshiaki Fukazawa† Takeshi Kawamura‡
†Waseda University ‡USOL Tokyo
Twitter: @Hiro_Washi washizaki@waseda.jp
http://www.washi.cs.waseda.ac.jp/
Agile 2014 Conference

2. Process and Organizational Patterns
• “EPISODE” (Cunningham)
• "A Generative Development-Process Pattern
Language” (Coplien)
• "Organizational Patterns of Agile Software
Development“ (Coplien and Harrison)
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3. Questions
• Q1. What is the most important software
pattern?
• Q2. What is the most important organizational
pattern?
• Q3. What pattern connects organizational
patterns and non-organizational patterns?
• Q4. How to start learning (organizational)
patterns?
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4. Portland Pattern Repository (PPR)
• http://c2.com/ppr/
• Ward Cunningham, Since ’95, Wiki
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5. Network Analysis
• Centrality: degree, closeness, betweeness
• 285 patterns, 20 groups in PPR
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Closeness
central
Betweeness
central
Degree
central

6. Top-10 Patterns for Degree Centrality
Pattern name
N.
patterns
referred
by the
pattern
N.
patterns
referring
to the
pattern
ModelViewController 11 12
AdapterPattern 6 15
HandleBodyPattern 9 10
SynchronizationStrategies 9 9
VisitorPattern 7 11
SceneGraph 6 11
ValueObject 3 14
ScapeGoat 6 10
CompositePattern 4 12
StrategyPattern 5 11
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7. 15 Organizational Patterns
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Pattern name
N. patterns
referred by
the pattern
N. patterns
referring to
the pattern
Degree
centrality
Closeness
centrality
Betweeness
centrality
Scape Goat 6 10 0.031128 0.176875 0.013398
Peace Maker 4 4 0.015564 0.15091 0.000084
Train Hard Fight Easy 6 2 0.015564 0.151088 0.000334
Cargo Cult 3 4 0.013619 0.210311 0.027906
Crypto Cracy 5 2 0.013619 0.175787 0.00646
Cult Of Personality 3 4 0.013619 0.150999 0.000258
Door Mat 2 4 0.011673 0.150733 0
Guru Does All 2 4 0.011673 0.150999 0.003344
Containment Building 2 2 0.007782 0.175307 0
Lets Play Team 1 2 0.005837 0.131458 0
Brownian Motion 1 1 0.003891 0.149593 0
Train The Trainer 1 1 0.003891 0.131323 0
Trial Project 1 1 0.003891 0.131323 0
Change Of Setting 1 0 0.001946 0.205272 0
Slow Poison 1 0 0.001946 0.15038 0

8. Organizational Patterns
Process Anti Patterns
Cult Of Personality
Scape Goat
Patterns For Effective Meetings
Discordant Reward MechanismSix Thinking Hats
Containment Building
Cargo Cult
Slow Poison
Brownian Motiion
Change Of Setting
Guru Does All
Peace Maker
Doormat
Crypto Crazy
Train Hard Fight Easy
Lets Play Team
Trial Project Train The Trainer
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High degree
centrality
High closeness
centrality
High betweeness
centrality

9. 9
ScapeGoat (anti-pattern)
Problem: A project is visibly in
trouble.
Solution: Someone must be
punished.
Peace Maker
P: A leader is not found or a reorganization is incomplete.
S: Assign someone who is well-liked for holding things together.
Train Hard Fight Easy
P: Projects are stumble …
teams fail to organize
themselves …
S: Train team … Give everyone
same tools and language.
Cargo Cult
P: A project is in trouble and
is far too visible.
S: Redraw the organization
charts …
High betweeness centralityHigh degree centrality
High degree centrality
High degree centrality
High closeness centrality

10. Answers
• A1. “Model-View-Controller” is the most important
software pattern from the viewpoint of degree
centrality.
• A2. “ScapeGoat” is the most important org pattern.
(“Peace Maker” and “Train Hard Fight Easy” are
next.)
• A3. “ScapeGoat” connects organizational patterns to
other groups.
• A4. Start with patterns having high degree centrality
(or high betweeness centrality if familiar with other
groups). 10

11. Thank you for your attention.
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