Every You and Every Me: Preparing to Pair Programme
Pair programming is a form of team-work, something I’m not new to. Working in collaboration with another person (or several people) was common in my past life as a management consultant. Whether working with others to facilitate a workshop; plan (and deliver) a change project; or produce a final report — they share many of the same best practice skills and behaviours. This includes (but is not limited to):
Communication & Feedback
Respect & Compromise
Patience & Understanding
The thing is, pair programming is new to me and whilst it may be a form of team-working, it has a critical aspect which introduces a learning curve for me. That key aspect is that you are working simultaneously on the same project or problem. My past experience has nearly always involved delegation and tasking (i.e. working in parallel). There’s nothing wrong with this as an approach and it’s what works in the given context.
Pair programming makes me think of tag teaming — two people in the same role fighting one problem together at the same time…
The learning curve for me comes from developing an affinity with my pair partner to work effectively — having to understand and accept someone else’s approach and mindset to problem solving. It’s sort of like being able to deal friendly damage — there’s a common goal to achieve together, but at times you get caught in your partner’s line of fire and you get hurt in the process.
This is particularly difficult for me at the moment (having just started Makers) as I have a new pair partner every day with whom I’ve yet to learn their ways of working. And it is further exacerbated by the fact that I have grown used to working independently (albeit within a team) and so am used to being in control of the tasks I’ve been delegated/tasked with. I have always known what I need to create and been able to decide (to an extent) how to go about, and I can speak with my team if I get stuck.
As we continue to rotate pair partners on a daily basis over the next 3 months, I’m sure this will get easier. Not only with getting to know the 24 other developers in my cohort, but also with incorporating the principles and behaviours of pair programming in myself. And once I do, I’ll be able to smash out great code with my partner!
