There are times in the development of a Craft Discourse when things just seem to take off. I provide two examples and wonder what they had in common.
In this case, there were meetings that produced and served as Sacred Objects.
The first (chronologically) was LAWST1 on the maintainability of automated tests. The second was the Snowbird Workshop on "lightweight methodologies."
I was at both, though not in any memorable way (except to me). So this page is mostly informed by my recollections.
Some of the observations are banal – characteristic of lots of successful meetings. Some are more interesting. I'll _**highlight**_ those.
The meetings were held Away From The Office but not at a formal convention with presentations and the like.
There was a _**Focus on Practitioners**_.
The meetings were organized around Fairly Specific Problems of groups that suffered from _**Imposed Solutions**_.
Both produced a **Punchy Summary Document** that Defends the Craft.
Both documents were widely disseminated, at least in part, creating a **BandWagon to Join** and a Movement With a Name.
Are these commonalities real or imaginary? Which of those shared by both should be adopted by other groups who want to make radical change? I guess I don't know.