Pair Programming
... in theory and in practice
Eric
Carraway
- Contract UI Developer
at Rackspace
- Bootcamp graduate
Coder Camps (Houston)
- Previous life as a
HS Band Director
Kayden aka Sharky
Althen
- Software Developer in Test
at Rackspace
- Bootcamp graduate
MakerSquare (Austin)
- Previous life as a
South Asia linguist
Who are you?
Who here
works in an
Agile environment?
Who here has
pair programmed?
Who here liked it?
Who here didn't?
Pair Programming
What is it, really?
Why do we do it?
How can you incorporate it into your workflow?
PART I
What is pair programming?
The Theory
Two Programmers
Single Workstation
"Driver"
- Controls the keyboard and mouse
- Tactical aspects
- Focuses on the micro
- Implements the code
"Navigator"
- Directs the Driver
- Strategic thinking
- Focuses on the macro
- Safety net
- Guide
How do you
choose roles?
Swap Roles
... frequently!
Antipatterns
Disregard Levels/Roles
Silent Driver
Infrequent Swapping
Cowboy Coding
Closed-mindedness
Ego.
Part II
Why we do it.
The Practice
Avoiding silos
Tackling large tasks
Onboarding new devs
Code Quality
Abstract Tasks
Increased Productivity
Why else do we do it?
Comaraderie
Knowledge Sharing
Part III
How do you incorporate pair programming into your workflow?
TL;DR
Just do it.
Work Environment?
Managerial Support?
Team Member Buy-In?
Quick Start Guide
Planning
- The Problem
- The Solution
- The Workflow
Starting
- Roles
- Levels
- Mental Map
Developing
- Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
- Avoid antipatterns
- Swap roles frequently
- Assess and improve through iteration
- What's working?
- What can be improved?
Retrospective
- Share with your pair
- Share with your team
- Share with us!
Final Words
What is pair programming?
Why do it?
How can you integrate it?
Questions?
Eric
Carraway
GitHub: @ericcarraway
Twitter: @CarrawayEric
eric@ericcarraway.com
Kayden aka Sharky
Althen
GitHub: @sharkySharks
Twitter: @sharkyAlt
kaydenalthen@gmail.com