[IxDA Discuss] Paired programming... not two off-topic I hope

[Robert Barlow-Busch]

On 22-Jun-06, at 11:30 AM, jackbellis.com wrote:
> The thread on agile (adaptive) methodology inspired me to ask, are  
> any of those adaptive shops out there using paired programmers, and  
> does it work?

As it happens, I'm currently sitting with 6 developers who are paired  
into three teams. I have monitor envy, as they're working in front of  
widescreen 30" LCDs, but that's a bit off-topic...

This is with a client who's two months into their very first  
experiment with Agile/XP. And I tell 'ya, it's working out  
wonderfully. The team has been enormously productive and the  
developers appear to be enjoying themselves immensely, as well.

Folks were hesitant about paired programming at first, but willing to  
give it a shot. I understand they've hit a groove where the person at  
the keyboard is focused on the details of the moment, while the  
partner thinks ahead a bit more strategically as well as performing  
an on-the-spot code review. It took a while to get comfortable with  
putting yourself "out there" so obviously, but that doesn't seem to  
be an issue anymore.

FYI that I'm on board as the interaction designer and am also playing  
the XP-termed role of "customer". This means I work with their  
product manager to write "stories" to describe the required front-end  
functionality for each two-week iteration. I'm also pumping out  
wireframes & prototypes.

The project was preceded by about 6 weeks of concept development and  
geurilla usability testing, which this client hired us to do. That  
helped to get the underlying framework in place, which is a  
shortcoming of hardcore XP that suggests you dive right in (I  
believe). Since beginning the work, I've tracked one iteration in  
front of the developers, working out the UI details of what they'll  
be coding next.

This has been my first experience with Agile/XP. I'm liking it.

-- 
Robert Barlow-Busch
Practice Director, Interaction Design
Quarry Integrated Communications Inc.
rbarlowbusch at quarry.com
(519) 570-2020

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