General talk about software patterns

[Linda Rising <risingl1 AT cox.net>]

To all patterns fans,

IEEE Software magazine has decided to experiment with a new article 
series called "Insights." The "official call"
is now "out" in the latest May/June issue. I'm hoping that this 
community will be contributors to this new
series by: submitting articles and volunteering for shepherding -- what 
you do best :-)! If you don't have the
issue of IEEE Software, here's a short list to get you started, but 
please feel free to ask questions :-)!

If you are a potential author of an insight article, here’s an outline 
of what we would like to see:

- A good story or a few related stories. Tell us enough so that we can 
truly understand what you faced. The stories should be readable and 
enjoyable. I know you don’t have a lot of time, so I am offering 
shepherding. Send us your idea and I will find someone to work with you 
to improve the presentation. You don't need to be a good writer, but 
good enough to communicate ideas clearly. Shepherding has been a part of 
the patterns community since its inception and has worked well to 
encourage those who might not otherwise submit a paper. This is “pair 
writing” and since I’m a believer in pairing, I know that this is a good 
way to work.
- The writing style could be more casual than the feature articles, that 
is, scholarly language not required.
- Tell us what you learned. What were those insights. We want to hear 
the things that worked well and what were the things that didn’t work 
well. In considering the latter, what would you like to try as an 
experiment in the future? We know no one has all the answers. These 
should be actionable, concrete, usable insights that our readers can 
consider trying on Monday morning. Include sufficient discussion to set 
context for our readers.
- There are always unknowns. What still puzzles you about the experience?
- In the spirit of Norm Kerth's Prime Directive: Regardless of what we 
learned we truly believe that everyone was doing the best job s/he could 
given what was known at the time, a sense of humility and lack of 
blaming is important.
- We are looking for about 2600 words, including counting an extra 200 
words for any tables and figures. This will keep us at a maximum of four 
pages in the magazine.

The title of the series, “Insights,” suggests, I hope, that we are not 
only looking for project experience—war stories—but also life 
experience. I would like to encourage experts to reflect on their life 
experiences and share insights with our readers. I also hope that the 
call for insight should depend upon familiarity with what others have 
done, not just "well, here's what we did and we think it was pretty good."

Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you!!




Linda



--
Co-Author of Fearless Change: patterns for introducing new ideas
  http://www.fearlesschangepatterns.com

Check out my web site:
  http://www.lindarising.org