The methodology for building and mining.
According to Jenny Quillien, the best patterns aren't actually ‘designed’, rather they are ‘mined’ and polished. Patterns already exist out there, ready to be discovered.
Jenny Quillien offers a methodology to ‘Unravel Problems of Organized Complexity’ by untangling the variables and the smaller segments that compose them:
Progress in understanding problems of organized complexity comes from:
a) First ‘preparing for analysis,’ where the concern is still with “collection, description, classification, and observations of apparently correlated effects.”
b) Identifying a specific variable―just as the biologist singles out, say, an enzyme, and then follows its relationships with other variables.
c) Making our observations in terms of the behavior and not just the mere presence of other specific (not general) variables.
d) Focusing on specific processes and, like Sherlock Holmes, seeking ‘unaverage’ clues that reveal larger patterns.
e) Realizing that these variables “do not exhibit one problem which if understood explains all. They can be analyzed into many such problems or segments which are also related with one another.” And, “when the segments are separated out the behaviors of a variable when in the presence of other variables can be discerned.”
The process of mining and finding patterns, of breaking them down into smaller segments, of probing their sustainability and trueness to purpose, of assembling them into sequences of aggregate patterns and of probing again, is part of a peer-to-peer learning process that will enhance systemic awareness and literacy.
Jenny Quillien offers a methodology to ‘Unravel Problems of Organized Complexity’ by untangling the variables and the smaller segments that compose them:
Progress in understanding problems of organized complexity comes from:
a) First ‘preparing for analysis,’ where the concern is still with “collection, description, classification, and observations of apparently correlated effects.”
b) Identifying a specific variable―just as the biologist singles out, say, an enzyme, and then follows its relationships with other variables.
c) Making our observations in terms of the behavior and not just the mere presence of other specific (not general) variables.
d) Focusing on specific processes and, like Sherlock Holmes, seeking ‘unaverage’ clues that reveal larger patterns.
e) Realizing that these variables “do not exhibit one problem which if understood explains all. They can be analyzed into many such problems or segments which are also related with one another.” And, “when the segments are separated out the behaviors of a variable when in the presence of other variables can be discerned.”
> Quoting Jane Jacobs
The process of mining and finding patterns, of breaking them down into smaller segments, of probing their sustainability and trueness to purpose, of assembling them into sequences of aggregate patterns and of probing again, is part of a peer-to-peer learning process that will enhance systemic awareness and literacy.
On mined & polished:
 | Kurt Laitner 12:59 AM Nov 5 |
|
consistent with alexander's empirical approach - I wonder if this might be limiting - or whether we need to peer underneath the patterns to understand the drivers / rule sets
On the methodology:
| Kurt Laitner 1:11 AM Nov 5 |
|
I like this, I wonder whether the 'behavior' being studied is system actor behavior or the behavior of the value of the variable.
On Jane Jacobs:
Kurt, receptors sound interesting. Why 'sadly'?
Jessie, strange because I don't own the book, and I can open the link from several devices. I actually Googled Jenny's quote: "when the segments are separated out the behaviors of a variable when in the presence of other variables can be discerned." The whole chapter pp87 and after is about Jane Jacobs & Alexander. The breaking down of the varibale is a quote from her too it seems.
Show less