Agile in a Flash 37

Pair Programming Smells – The Team

Agile in a Flash by Jeff Langr and Tim Ottinger (card #37)

> Unequal access

> Keyboard domination

> Unhealthy relationships

> Worker /rester

> “Everyone does their own work”

> Endless debate

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Sniff out and correct these smells that prevent successful pairing.

Unequal access. Ensure tight cube setups don’t require one partner to sit behind another. Pairing is two people collaborating, not one watching another.

Keyboard domination. Domination can occur when one partner dismisses the other, verbally or otherwise. A coach (perhaps Cesar Millan) must intervene if the dominated party remains silent.

Unhealthy relationships. Pairs should change frequently enough to avoid stagnation (“pair marriage”). Pair enemies are a more serious problem, requiring remediation or even reorganization.

Worker /rester. Watch for disengaged partners (a second computer is an obvious indicator). Take breaks, switch partners, and coach habitual resters.

“Everyone does their own work”. The whole team is responsible for collaborating (and not abandoning each other) to complete the work. A manager discourages pairing when they hold individuals accountable for tasks.

Endless debate. People unskilled at pair programming will over-analyze how to derive a solution. Any debate longer than ten minutes should be resolved via code. Arguing in code is better than arguing about code.

A relevant quote (source unknown), “If your relationship has more issues than a magazine, it’s better to cancel the subscription”