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Pair Programming
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Pair PRogramming
What is it?
- Two people at one keyboard
- Actively working together to solve the same problem
- Switching the keyboard and mouse back and forth
Hmm, what if we try this *switch*
Ok, thats good, but don't forget to extract that into a method like this *switch*
Ah, that made me think of a test that will fail *switch*
What it isn't
- Sit at my computer and watch as I code.
- You take a turn working on this problem, then I'll do the next one.
- I'll teach you how to code.
So really... How do we do this?
Step 4: SWITCH
Whenever it seems natural
At least every 30 minutes or so
Sometimes it is easier to speak in code
Why is it so hard?
Common Problems
Bad Pair Up
Not all pair ups are good. Like texting and driving.
BENEFITS
TIPS
- There is no magic formula
- Keep trying
- Remember to switch keyboards
- Try forcing the pair up
- Pairing hours, pairing workstations
- Give some personal time, or developers will revolt!
Increased Productivity
- Two people are more effective at solving a problem than one
- Less likely to get stuck
- Less likely to get distracted
- Synergy!
Training and Mentoring
- Best way to learn is by doing
- Pair up a weak developer with a strong one and watch him/her grow
- Pair up two strong developers and they will learn from each other
- Pair up two weak developers and...
Collective Ownership and Teamwork
- Not Joe's code, our code
- Each member feels like they can work in any part of the code
- If Joe gets hit by a bus, someone else can still understand your dependency injection framework
- The bug blame game, or crappy code blame game is not as fun
Reduced Bugs
- Just in time code review
- Two sets of eyes will catch more bugs
- Less likely two people will go in the wrong direction
- Pair up QA person and developer = GOOD!
Increased Understanding
Seems Easy Enough, but Why Do So Many Teams Struggle?
- Team becomes cross trained
- No more "roles" in the code
- Expands even to testing, database and other tasks
- Seeing the bigger picture by working on more pieces of the system
Don't forget to wear the same color shirts as your computer
so that everything matches
Becomes a watch me code Session
Takes practice to get the ryhthm
Takes time to see the benefits
Giving up Too Soon
Not invested into the work
Not Switching Roles
One person gets bored
It is much harder to pair program when the goals are NOT small and clear
TDD has a natural flow of repeated actions that work well with switching roles
Not Doing Test Driven DEvelopment
Step 1: Define your task
Step 2: Pick a small goal
Having a clearly defined task helps.
Should be able to be accomplished in 1 hour or 2.
Write a failing unit test
Refactor a method
Create a database table
Something small
Step 3: Do it, one person drives...
The other actively participates
No one is passive
Lots of talking, suggest names for variables, members, classes
Stay on task, but write down things you think of
Observer talks higher level, typer solves problem in code