Conclusions

In our joint experience, we have seen that the use of patterns can have a dramatic impact on the way a team develops software. The improved communication through patterns alone is a valuable asset. Giving novices the opportunity to learn from positive examples which already form the basis of a shared team vocabulary can help speed their contribution to the team. On the other hand, good patterns are hard to write, especially for those developers to whom abstraction does not come naturally. It is difficult to find a balance between the advantages and disadvantages, especially when measurable results are not yet available. It is clear that many people in the software engineering community recognize the emergence of patterns, but only few have had any opportunity, until now, to learn about their benefits and drawbacks in practice.