This document summarizes PLoP conferences, the AsianPLoP conference, and the patterns community in Japan. It discusses that PLoP conferences provide opportunities for authors to have their pattern languages reviewed by peers through a shepherding process. It describes how the AsianPLoP conference started in Japan in 2010 and has continued every few years, drawing participants from across Asia. It also outlines the history of the patterns community in Japan dating back to 1999, including local workshops, seminars, and journal clubs to discuss patterns and learn from the PLoP tradition.

1. PLoP, AsianPLoP,
and
Patterns Community in Japan
Hironori Washizaki
Waseda University
Twitter: @Hiro_Washi washizaki@waseda.jp
http://www.washi.cs.waseda.ac.jp/

2. Agenda
• PLoP and Hillside group
• AsianPLoP and Community in Japan
• Moving Forward!
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3. PLOP AND HILLSIDE GROUP
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4. • Pattern Languages of Programs (PLoP®)
• Opportunities for pattern authors to have their
pattern languages critically reviewed by fellow
authors
• Community of trust
– Shepherding process
– Writer's Workshops
• PLoP is a registered trademark of The Hillside
Group.
What is PLoP?

5. What is the Hillside Group?
• The mission of the Hillside Group is to
improve the quality of life of everyone who
uses, builds, and encounters software
systems-users, developers, managers, owners,
educators, students, and society as a whole.
– http://hillside.net
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6. • Regional: PLoP, ChiliPLoP, EuroPLoP, Sugarloaf
PLoP, VikingPLoP, and AsianPLoP!
• Specific topic: ScrumPLoP, ParaPLoP
PLoP
ChiliPLoP
SugarloafPLoP
EuroPLoP
VikingPLoP
GuruPLoP
AsianPLoP
PLoPs over the world
miniPLoP!

7. Shepherding process
Improve the content and style of the pattern paper
guided by shepherds
• 1. Program committee: review papers to be
accepted into shepherding process.
• 2. Iterations
– Shepherd: give authors comments for improvement.
– Author: revise the paper according to comments.
• 3. Shepherd: recommend the paper to be
accepted or rejected
• 4. Program committee: review papers and decide
acceptance. 7

8. The Language of Shepherding (Neil Harrison)
• Process
– Iterate three times review-revise
– Communicate and make trust relationship
– NOT send all comments at once.
– Review problem and solution first.
– Give authors “questions”. NOT order or enforce
something.
• Review method
– Consider correspondence relation between problem
and solution.
– Consider whether solution poses “Aha!”.
– Consider whether forces define problem.
– Compare context and resulting context.
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http://www.hillside.net/language-of-shepherding.pdf

9. Writer’s Workshop
NOT about paper presentation, BUT about giving
feedback!
1. Author reads a paragraph of his/her choice
2. Participants briefly summarize paper
3. Group discusses what they liked, first in terms of
content and then in terms of style
4. Group discusses how to improve content and style
5. Author asks questions
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10. Suggestions for Writer’s Workshop
• Ensuring appropriate atmosphere:
moderators
• Contributions by non-authors
• Circle organization: outer and inner
• Rotating moderators
• Workshop size (up to 10)
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11. Retrospective
• Discovering and shearing lessons learned from
successes and failures
• Write cards in real-time and put them on the
timeline!
Red: anger, frustration
Blue: happy, satisfied
Green: challenged
Yellow: surprised
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12. • Relax, know each other, and have fun!
• Rain game: warming up
• Name game: remembering names with
gestures
• Yes-No question game: identifying
commonality
Games

13. ASIAN PLOP AND COMMUNITY IN
JAPAN
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14. Patterns community in Japan (ongoing)
• 1999-2002 JapanPLoP as a study group
– Journal club: meetings for reading patterns
– Local Writer’s Workshop
– Learn PLoP traditions by attending PLoPs
• 2002 MensorePLoP: 1st PLoP in Japan
• 2003-Present IPSJ/SIGSE Patterns Working Group
– Monthly seminars on patterns (-2004)
– Writing articles and book on software patterns
– Local workshops on software patterns research
– Journal club: Alexander’s books and inventing games
• 2007-2009 Workshops on Software Patterns and
Quality
• 2010-Present AsianPLoPs
• 2012-Present Non-software patterns movement
• 2013-Present Pattern Mining within Agile community 14

15. PLoPs in Asia and Oceania (I attended)
• 2000-2002 Koala PLoP in Australian
• 2002 MensorePLoP in Japan
• 2008 miniPLoP in India
• 2010 1st AsianPLoP in Tokyo
• 2011 2nd AsianPLoP in Tokyo
• 2013 1st GuruPLoP in Bangalore
• 2014 3rd AsianPLoP in Tokyo
2nd GuruPLoP in Chennai
miniPLoP in Taipei !

16. • NII/National Center Sciences, Tokyo
• Collocated with the GRACE International Symposium
• Sponsors: NII GRACE Center, ACM Japan Chapter,
IPSJ/SIGSE Patterns WG
• Shepherding: Jan-Feb 2010
• Conference: Mar 16-17, 2010
• Participants: 40
– Japan, India, Korea, Taiwan,
– USA, Austria …
• Submission: 16
– Writer’s Workshop: 13, Writing Group: 3
– Security, design, HCI, information systems, pedagogy,
organization
1st AsianPLoP 2010

17. • Green Computing Center, Waseda University,
Tokyo
• Sponsors: IPSJ/SIGSE Patterns WG, Waseda U.,
NII GRACE Center
• Shepherding: Jan – Feb
• Conference: October 5-8
• Participants: 50
– Japan, India, Taiwan, USA, Mexico, Italy, Sweden, etc.
• Submissions: 29
– Writer’s Workshops: 23, Writing Groups: 5
2nd AsianPLoP 2011

18. 3rd AsianPLoP 2014
• NII/National Center Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
• Sponsors: IPSJ/SIGSE Patterns WG, Waseda U., NII
GRACE Center
• Shepherding: Jan-Feb
• Conference: March 5-8
• Participants: 60
• Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Portugal, Italy, Chile,
USA, etc.
• Submissions: 28
• Writer’s Workshp: 21, Writing Group: 5
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19. Special features in 2011 and 2014
• Excursion to beautiful Places designed and under
evolution by Pattern Languages
• Pattern and project language cards workshop
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Higashino high school Cards workshop

20. MOVING FORWARD!
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21. Some suggestions…
• Core persons
• Community of trust
• Sustainable activities
• Experiences in other PLoPs
• Financial supports
• Connection with local communities: Agile,
Education, …
• Fun!
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