To pair, or not to pair

A talk about pair programming, an agile development practice that still has only relatively patchy adoption across the industry. I talked about a few of the top benefits, then highlighted the challenges, and talked about why I believe those challenges are worth the hassle.

Presented at ThoughtWorks' XConf in New York in July 2018.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_eZ-ae2FY8

Transcript

1. To Pair or not to Pair
   Birgitta Böckeler | @birgitta410
   

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2. 1940s: The first programmers
   

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3. “Betty Snyder and I, from the
   beginning, were a pair. And I believe
   that the best programs and designs
   are done by pairs, because
   you can criticise each other,
   and find each other’s errors,
   and use the best ideas.”
   Jean Bartik
   http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/birth-of-the-computer/4/78/2258
   1940s: The first programmers
   

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4. 50 years later
   

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5. https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/what-are-our-core-values-and-practices-building-software
   

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7. 1
   IT’S A
   LONG
   GAME.
   

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8. https://martinfowler.com/bliki/PairProgrammingMisconceptions.html
   

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9. 2
   ONE DOES
   NOT SIMPLY
   PAIR
   PROGRAM.
   

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10. IS IT WORTH
    THE HASSLE?
    CHALLENGES
    EFFECTIVENESS
    

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11. 1 + 1 > 2
    

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12. 1 + 1 > 2
    

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13. FOCUS
    

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14. FOCUS
    

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16. FOCUS
    

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17. TRUE CONTINUOUS
    INTEGRATION
    

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18. TRUE CONTINUOUS
    INTEGRATION
    

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19. CHALLENGES
    EFFECTIVENESS
    1+1>2
    FOCUS
    CONT. INTEGRATION
    …
    

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20. ENERGY
    

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21. ENERGY
    

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22. COLLABORATION
    

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23. COLLABORATION
    

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24. IT’S PERSONAL
    

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25. “To pair requires vulnerability.
    It means sharing all that you know
    and all that you don’t know.
    This is hard for us.”
    Tom Howlett, “The Shame of Pair Programming”
    https://diaryofascrummaster.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/the-shame-of-pair-programming/
    

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26. “you can criticise each other
    and find each other’s errors”
    

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27. IS IT WORTH
    THE HASSLE?
    CHALLENGES
    ENERGY
    INTENSE COLLAB.
    IT’S PERSONAL
    …
    EFFECTIVENESS
    1+1>2
    FOCUS
    CONT. INTEGRATION
    …
    

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28. Giving & Receiving
    Feedback
    Communication
    

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29. Pia Nilsson, “Knowing Me, Knowing You - Growing teams to continuously deliver”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S92vVAEofes
    

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30. Pia Nilsson, “Knowing Me, Knowing You - Growing teams to continuously deliver”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S92vVAEofes
    Diversity
    

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31. https://hbr.org/2016/09/diverse-teams-feel-less-comfortable-and-thats-why-they-perform-better
    

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32. https://hbr.org/2016/09/diverse-teams-feel-less-comfortable-and-thats-why-they-perform-better
    

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33. https://hbr.org/2016/09/diverse-teams-feel-less-comfortable-and-thats-why-they-perform-better
    

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34. IT’S FUN!
    

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35. Pia Nilsson, “Knowing Me, Knowing You - Growing teams to continuously deliver”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S92vVAEofes
    

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37. EMBRACING CHANGE
    += EMBRACING FRICTION
    

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38. To Pair or not to Pair
    Do something today that your future self will thank you for.
    Birgitta Böckeler | @birgitta410
    

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