Pair Programming Primer

Pair programming, when done poorly, can be:

Here are some points to cover when introducing pairing to make it a positive experience:

Not just watching me code
- For a thought to go from your head into the computer, it must pass through someone else's hands.
- If you're at the keyboard and have an idea, pass the keyboard to your pair and walk them through it (instead of "just a sec." and then you're off in your own world).
- Llewelyn Falco describes this as "Strong style pairing".
Disagreements: just try something
- When you disagree about approach, don't debate; choose one person's approach (preferably the most junior of the pair) and try it out. If they're wrong, reality will prove it. If they're right, you just learned something.
- This is discussed in this anecdote.
- See also: Llewelyn Falco's "Strong style pairing" article (linked above), in the "Ask for trust" section near the end.
Attribution in version control
- Update your git config so both pairs' names appear in the git log.
  - git config --global user.name "Alex B. and Sarah L."
Swapping roles
- At regular intervals (<30 minutes), switch roles with your partner. Set a timer, but don't be dogmatic — if the navigator is just about to finish a thought, let them do so.
- A version control commit is a natural time to have someone else take control: you may find it helpful to work in small chunks that can be started and finished in 20-30 minutes.

Attend to your personal needs
- You can get up and leave whenever you want, without offering an explanation.
- Consider using Pomodoros: 25 minutes of work, 3 minutes off.
- Unless you firmly establish this as your policy, you are likely to "power through" when you feel you need a break because of some imagined social expectation — you'll end up needlessly tired and ineffective.
Ergonomics
- When you take your turn at the keyboard, take a moment to place it fully in front of you (instead of leaning awkwardly out of your seat).
Hygiene
- Consider each others' personal space: make sure there's enough room where you're sitting that you're not right on top of each other (coughing and sweating on each other)
- Consider keeping a bottle of hand sanitizer to use when handing off the keyboard

Retrospect
- Chat about what is and isn't working; adjust to suit.
- Consider this overview of a variety of pairing techniques which may give you more ideas of things to try
- Also, Woody Zuill's very comprehensive experience report on Mob Programming has a lot of great material which applies equally well to pairing