Having a common directory layout would allow for users familiar with one Maven project to immediately feel at home in another Maven project. The advantages are analogous to adopting a site-wide look-and-feel. Common Maven procedures strengthen the Maven brand.
The next two sections document the directory layout expected by Maven and the directory layout created by Maven. Please try to conform to this structure as much as possible; however, if you must these settings can be overridden via properties as documented in the Integration document.