Vanilla Ice Was an Agile Visionary

Once and for all could we all just get over pair programming as something novel and thus something about which to be suspicious and fearful. The idea that it’s some new fandangled practice is utter bollocks! It’s called COLLABORATION! and believe it or not, some of us have been pair-programming collaborating with much success for many years now and with no ill effects. You’d be amazed!

Getting people to collaborate takes more than simply mandating pair-programming. If you don’t know how to do it, how about occasionally getting up off your bum and sitting with another developer. Perhaps once in a while you might like to try taking those goddam earphones out, turning around and asking for someone to come and watch what you’re doing. Talk to other members of the team about your work. Involve other people in what you do. Fundamentally that’s what pair programming is about. Yes, there are added benefits such as having your pair catch little mistakes here and there but more than anything it’s the collaboration that comes from sitting with another human being and discussing what you’re doing that makes the biggest difference.

Where I work now we all sit in close proximity, we all listen (whether we know it or not) to what everyone else is doing and all chime in if we believe (rightly or wrongly) we have something to contribute or even just to ask questions because something sounded interesting. Snobs, cowboys, incompetents and the socially-challenged are among those that might fear such behaviour; precisely the people we don’t want on our project.

I highly recommend visiting Jason Yip’s blog (among others) for ways in which you might get your team to collaborate more effectively and yes, pair-programming may well be one.