Symposia Format

The symposia organization has been inspired by the LAWST (Los Altos Workshop on Software Testing) format, focusing on live discussion and collaboratively generating conclusions, recommendations, and ideas rather than a publication quality proceedings.

• Topic Selection. The symposia chair circulates a definition of the topic. Currently the definitions are short phrases, but the chairs will expand these definitions into one or two paragraphs.

• Position Papers. All symposia participants are expected to be active participants and all participants start by submitting a position paper for review by the symposium chair. Position papers can vary in length from one or two pages to fully developed article length discussions. Positions papers need not be original, but they are needed to describe each participant's interests and experiences. Position papers will be available on the website in advance of the symposia.

• Invitation. Those with relevant position papers will be invited to attend the symposia. Attendance will be limited to between 20 and 30 people so as to maximize the disussions and interactions. There will be no attendance without a position paper: requiring position papers from everyone ensures that all participants have a clear idea of what all other participants are working on, interested in, and want to talk about.

• Session Selection. A few days before the symposia, the chair will group the position papers into four to six sessions based around common topics. The sessions will be held sequential, perhaps a morning session, then a coffee break, then a second morning session, then lunch, then an afternoon, another break, then a final session.

• Opening Presentation. Each session will start with a presentation by a particularly knowledgable individual. This person will have around a half hour (and will probably require less) to introduce his or her work and the issues and challenges surrounding it. This presentation should encompass the larger session topic and reference the other relevant position papers - the goal here is to describe a single concrete example (this person's work) of a larger general interest area (this session's topic). In general, the talk should be about successes and future successes, but instructive failures are also welcome. The opening presenter is entitled to assume that all attendees have read the position papers.

• Presentation Focused Discussion. After the initial presentation, the symposia attendees may question or debate with the presenter, including presenting alternative techniques or solutions, requesting or challenging or providing contrary data. The ground rule here is that everything is focused on developing insight into the specific practice or technique or failure that is being presented. This is not a time for general discussion. For example, if Participant 1 is presenting Technique 1 and Participant 2 presents an alternative Technique 2, this is done as a means of helping people understand the strengths and weaknesses of Technique 1, and not as a means of helping people come to understand Technique 2. This ground rule will be enforced by the chair. Another example: during this discussion, some general principles or problems will be raised. These will be noted by the Recorder, but will not be discussed until later. (Anyone can say, at any time, "Put this on the general principles chart for later.") The discussion of the practice or technique continues until the facilitator (probably guided by the group) decides that this sub-topic is exhausted. There is no preset time limit. The discussion is expected and intended to continue through a period during which attendees are slowly and perhaps painfully working through some concepts, and even though this will often be a period that feels uncomfortable or unproductive for some participants. The point of allowing the discussion to extend is that many of the group's most creative ideas will develop during these awkward but intense periods.

• Discussion of Broader Issues. After some number of practices, techniques and failures have been discussed, the chair will shift the focus of the session to a more general discussion of the topic. General issues raised before will be noted and may be discussed at this time, along with any other issues on topic that are raised by any participant. Duration of this discussion is controlled by the facilitator. As with the narrower discussions of examples, subject to the discretion of the facilitator, this discussion will often be allowed to run past the time of facile contributions into an awkward period during which people are thinking and presenting half-formed new ideas or are exploring underlying significant differences with each other.

• Summary. One attendee will prepare and present a summary that captures the key points, practices, and conclusions made on the topic. Ideally, the summary will be in the form of a list of clear, short statements. Participants may discuss any item on this list and the list will be revised to take into account points from the discussion.