Do your developers and testers pair—and do it in the best ways? If you can answer yes, then you are among the fortunate ones who have a trusting environment where people have confidence in their work. Unfortunately, a large number of development shops don’t practice pairing in any form. Pair programing was documented in Kent Beck’s book eXtreme Programming Explained, published in 1999. So why is it that eighteen years later many developers and testers do not practice this simple yet effective programming technique? Linda Cook addresses many reasons that people don’t pair. Drawing on experiences in a handful of organizations and hundreds of teams, Linda examines the factors contributing to a general absence of pairing. Considerations include environmental concerns, organizational barriers, personal style, and experiences that all contribute to whether or not people practice pair programming and testing. Join Linda to examine the many benefits of pairing and the varied methods for pairing. This session includes a short activity where everyone gets an opportunity to pair using LEGOS.

1. AW5
Concurrent Session
11/8/17 1:30 PM
Why Won't They Pair?
Presented by:
Linda Cook
Project Cooks
Brought to you by:
350 Corporate Way, Suite 400, Orange Park, FL 32073
888---268---8770 ·· 904---278---0524 - info@techwell.com - https://www.techwell.com/

2. Linda Cook
Project Cooks
A recognized technology leader and agile transformation expert, Linda Cook is
committed to helping organizations achieve their strategic goals. With more than
twenty years of experience as an IT executive, Linda offers a unique blend of
leadership, innovation, and vision which allows her to tackle the most complex
organizational challenges. She currently leads the lean/agile consulting practice
for Project Cooks. Formerly an agile program leader at PayPal, Linda managed the
company's largest IT initiative with more than 500 staff across fifty-seven teams
in four countries. Linda served on the Agile Leadership Network board and
chaired the organization's national conferences. She frequently speaks at agile
events worldwide on topics ranging from the future of agile to agile release
planning.

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Linda M Cook
Date Name of Presenta2on Project Cooks
Chief Learning Officer
Why Won’t They Pair?
WhyWontTheyPair© Project Cooks

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Chief Learning Officer
More, BeEer, Faster business
Agile Coach, ICAgile Cer2fied Trainer and
Member organiza2on
Agile Alliance Board member 2010 - 2017
Life2me learner and seeker of knowledge
@lindamcook1
Linda M Cook
What is Pair Programming?
Pair Programming Examined
Obstacles to Pairing
Pairing Environments
Pairing Techniques
Pairing Resources

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Why Won’t They Pair?
Teams who haven’t been
exposed to Agile prac2ces
seldom pair program.
Pair programming has
been defined since the
1990’s with XP.
Pairing techniques vary but
are fairly simple in
prac2ce.
Ø Environmental
Ø Organiza2onal
Ø Cost concerns
Ø Management Styles
Ø Low Safety Factors
Ø Imposter Syndrome
Ø And others…
Obstacles to Pair Programming

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Performance Reviews

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Performance Reviews
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Cost of Developers
Too many managers are s2ll trying to measure developer
produc2vity by lines of code and other foolishness.
Ø A pervasive feeling of self-doubt, insecurity, or
fraudulence despite oeen overwhelming
evidence to the contrary
Ø Most achievers feel like an imposter at some
2me in their career
Ø You can feel as if you have to maintain a certain
image of super skills in order to retain your
posi2on
Ø And it might just be your ego gegng in the
way.
Imposter Syndrome

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Organiza2on Obstacles At Every Turn
Now what? •

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Ø 6’ or longer table
Ø Two comfortable chairs
Ø Two 24” or larger monitors
Ø One computer/laptop
Ø One wireless keyboard
Ø One wireless mouse
Ø Two people willing to give it a try
Tools for Pairing

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“For an idea to go from your head into the computer,
it MUST go through someone else’s hands.”
Ø Uses Driver/Navigator style
Ø Increases communica2on
Ø Builds trust in the navigator
Ø Can help solve some problems found with pairing
Ø 1 working 1 watching
Ø Figh2ng over the keyboard
Ø Expert/Novice Pairing
Ø What are you thinking?
Llewellyn's Strong Style Pairing
Ø Setup the environment for comfort
Ø Switch roles oeen – at least every 10
minutes
Ø Take Breaks – use the Pomodoro techinque
Ø Ask for trust
Ø Ask what the other person is thinking
Pairing Tips

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Ø Analysis
Ø Tes2ng
Ø Training
Ø Presen2ng
Ø Design
Ø Architecture
Pairing, not just for developers
What else can you do?

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‘Two is a pair and three is a kind’:
Includes one developer, one tester,
and a subject maEer expert
Set the environment with a monitor or projector that gives everyone
clear view of the screen.
Each person should take turns on the keyboard/mouse.
Select a topic/problem to solve.
Free exchange of ideas with one person coding or capturing design or
notes.
Use of ‘Yes, and’ improv technique is helpful.
This technique is especially useful for design or discovery sessions.
Tips for Three Amigos’

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Mob Programming
• Whole team
par2cipates
• Everyone is
equally
exposed
• Set the Stage
• Pick a topic
• Include the PO
• Debrief
Artwork: Woody Zuill
Ø Use a Facilitator
Ø Arrange people in a circle with the driver at the keyboard
and the navigator as far away as possible
Ø Rotate every four minutes, navigator becomes the driver
Ø Make sure driver is not thinking at the keyboard
Ø Small steps, frequent feedback
Ø Small steps, frequent check-ins
Ø Monitor for kindness, considera2on and respect
Ø End while s2ll happy (2 hours or less)
*Mob Programming Guidebook
Mobbing Cheat Sheet*

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Ø Another way to collaborate
Ø Improve communica2on skills
Ø Learn
Ø Innovate
Ø Can be done by any two or more people who decide to
work on a problem together
Ø Take turns
Ø Small Steps
Ø Use the tools available
Ø Always be kind!
Pair Development
Ø Tools for remote pairing
Ø Skype
Ø Sococo
Ø Slack
Ø Screenhero
Ø Find a 2me that works for both
Ø Follow regular pairing prac2ces
Remote Pairing

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Pairing is Fun!
If you can’t pair at work, then what?
Find outside venues for learning, such as
Coding Dojos
Code Camps
Meetups for developers
Tech Conferences
And if you can’t find an event to prac2ce pairing
in your area, start one today!
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Embrace Learning!

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• hEp://www.projectcooks.com/pair-programming
• hEp://www.infoq.com/ar2cles/why-wont-pair
• hEps://leanpub.com/mobprogramming
• Pair Programming Illuminated by Laurie Williams
• hEp://llewellynfalco.blogspot.fi/2014/06/llewellyns-strong-style-
pairing.html
• Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change, 2nd Edi2on
(The XP Series) by Kent Beck & Cynthia Andreas
• hEp://shriverreport.org/10-ways-to-overcome-impostor-
syndrome-joyce-roche/
References
Thanks to the many people who taught me how to encourage
and enable developers to use modern techniques.
• Llewellyn Falco
• Woody Zuill
• Nancy Van Schooenderwoert
• James Starmer
• Andy Freeman
• George Dinwiddie
• Bob Payne
• And literally every team I’ve
ever worked with has taught
me something about good
development.
AMribuNons
THANK YOU ALL!

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Be kind.
THANK YOU ALL!
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• Be kind

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Thanks to the many people who taught me how to encourage
and enable developers to use modern techniques.
• Llewellyn Falco
• Woody Zuill
• Nancy Van Schooenderwoert
• James Starmer
• Andy Freeman
• George Dinwiddie
• Bob Payne
• And literally every team I’ve
ever worked with has taught
me something about good
development.
AMribuNons
THANK YOU ALL!
Thank You!
projectcooks.com • 443.744.9081
linda@projectcooks.com