A number of challenges exist, one of them as you mentioned is just a matter of people having different opinions, another is peoples specializations, if you don't frequently work with client-side tools you might not have been introduced to LiveReload for example.

Prescribing an approach beforehand is exactly what I'm advocating, the best way I know how, with an example :)

I think what we need right now is opinions, mine, yours, anyone with expertise and the willingness to apply it to this problem really, so we can begin the process of iterating on it, improving it.

It won't be the best tool for every hackathon, but we can create a solid foundation.