Pair Programming Illuminated

Pair programming is a simple, straightforward concept. Two programmers work side-by-side at one computer, continuously collaborating on the same design, algorithm, code, and test. It produces a higher quality of code in about half the time than that produced by the summation of their solitary efforts. However, nothing is simple where people and personalities are involved--especially people who are accustomed to working alone. The leap to pair programming for a variety of software development projects is one that yields many benefits. However, it is also one that requires careful thought and planning.

Written as instruction for team members and leaders new to pair programming and as an improvement guide for experienced pair programmers, Pair Programming Illuminated explains both the principles underlying this method and its best practices. The authors, drawing on their own extensive experience, explain what works and what does not, what should be emphasized and what should be avoided. Two case studies further illuminate pair programming in practice: one in the context of extreme programming (XP), with which it often is associated, and one linked to a more disciplined software engineering process.

Key topics include:

Principles for selecting partners

Practical advice, such as furniture set-up, pair rotation, and weeding out bad pairs

Seven habits of effective pair programmers

Special appendices include:

A pair programming tutorial

An economic analysis of pair programming

An introduction to test-driven development

With this book in hand, you will quickly discover how pair programming fits the needs of your own organization or project. You then will see exactly how to get started with this method, and how to do it right.

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Online Sample Chapter

Overcoming Management Resistance to Pair Programming

Index

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Index

Preface

This purpose of this book is to provide you with lots of information on pair programming. If you are already pairing, then the book will give you additional insights and techniques to make your pairing even more successful. We answer many of the questions and concerns that you may have about using the technique.

In Section One, our aim is for you to gain greater understanding about pair programming. We'll describe the technique and will be looking at pair programming from many perspectives . . . from those who want to try and those who would rather not try, from those who are employees trying to convince their managers to let them try and those who are managers who are trying to convince their employees to try.

In Section Two, we deal with some operational details of pairing--like furniture and hints and tips for daily operation. We discuss the importance of pair rotation and how that can lead to better knowledge management.

In Section Three, we explain benefits and shortcomings of many different kinds of pairs and the context when each kind of pair works best. We offer ideas to help enhance the pairing and solutions for most problem pairings. Unfortunately, not all pairs will work and we provide ways to recognize the potential problems before they happen.

Section Four gives two case studies of pair programming in different methodologies. The first describes pairing in Extreme Programming (XP), while the second discusses the Collaborative Software Process (CSP). In both cases, pair programming is an essential ingredient to success.

We conclude in Section Five with some future directions and by enumerating Seven Habits of Effective Pair Programmers.

Who Should Read This Book

We've written this book for software development team members and their managers. When we use the term "software development team," it goes beyond those who write production code. For example, this book is certainly appropriate for team leaders and coaches, GUI designers, architects, and QA folks. This book was also written for educators who would like to try pair programming with their students. Depending upon your role, may we suggest the following process for reading this book:

Software developers and team leaders/coaches who haven't tried pair programming yet will find Section One very useful. All should read Chapters 1-3 very carefully. If you are trying to convince your manager to transition to pair programming, Chapter 4 will be helpful. If you would like to convince your peers to give pair programming a shot, Chapter 5's for you. If you are currently being forced into pair programming, Chapter 6 will give you some guidance. Then, you can move on to the chapters in Section Two to get into some of the more operational issues you will need to deal with in a transition to pair programming. Chapter 27, the Seven Habits of Effective Pair Programmers will get you started on the right track. Appendix A, the Pair Programming Tutorial, can be used to help you transition a team or convince a team to take the pair-programming plunge.

Software developers and team leaders/coaches who are currently doing pair programming should start out skimming Chapters 1-3. Much of this will be review for you, but you may pick up some additional insight. Then, you can move on to the chapters in Section Two to get into some of the more operational issues. Section Three will be particularly important in guiding you to choosing the best pair for the task at hand. Chapter 27, the Seven Habits of Effective Pair Programmers, will be a good grand finale for you. How many of these habits do you practice? Appendix D provides information about including Test-First Design with pair programming.

QA personnel might be wondering how to handle a development team that has or plans to practice pair programming. Chapters 1-4 will give you a solid understanding of the technique and its benefits. Chapters 10 and 26 also discuss the possibility of pair programming as a substitute to code inspections. Appendix D discusses the composition of pair programming and a testing technique called Test-First Design.

Managers should start out by reading the first four chapters and Chapter 7 of Section One. Then, if you are trying to convince a team to try pair programming, Chapter 6 will be helpful for you. Chapter 6 advises you to run a Pair Programming Tutorial, which is outlined in Appendix A, with your team. Section Two provides information about operational issues of pair programming. Chapter 26 provides information on some directions pair programming may lead to.

Educators should read the first four chapters of Section One to gain a good basic understanding of the technique. Chapters 8, 10 and 11 will provide some tactical information about your students. Depending upon the skill level and mix of your students, you can choose some chapters in Section Three. Chapter 26 should appeal to your academic research interests. Chapter 27 provides good information to share with your students. Appendix C was written with you in mind, and provides some sound tactical advice for using pair programming in your classroom.

Who Wrote This Book

The authors of this book are Laurie Williams and Bob Kessler. Laurie has a BS in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University, an MBA from Duke, and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Utah. She has also worked for IBM for nine years in various manufacturing, software development and management positions. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science department at North Carolina State University. Bob has a BS, MS and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Utah. He has founded several companies and is on the board of several others. He is currently a full professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah.

As we're sure you surmise, the great benefit that comes from pair programming comes from the social interactions between the partners. Thus, as you might expect, there are social issues involved. Although not trained sociologists, both of us have many years of experience in software development. Thus, our views on the social interactions are grounded in our management experience and provide our fundamental basis for solving the various problems and issues.

You might be wondering how we assimilated all the information in this book. We've done pair programming ourselves. We performed an extensive, formal experiment of pair programmers versus solo programmers, which yielded groundbreaking results. We've observed professional and student pair programmers. We've talked with or presented to thousands of experienced pair programmers, those considering pair programming and anti-pair programmers. We've also done two extensive surveys of professional pair programmers. We've heard lots of wonderful endorsements of pair programming, and we've heard every reason in the book why it won't work. We'll be quoting statistics from these surveys, presenting data gathered in our studies, and relaying lots of information from all these sources and our own experiences.

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Table of Contents

Preface.


Who Should Read This Book.


Acknowledgments.

I. GAINING UNDERSTANDING.

II. GETTING STARTED WITH PAIR PROGRAMMING.

III. PAIR PROGRAMMING PARTNER PICKING PRINCIPLES.

IV. CASE STUDIES OF PAIR PROGRAMMING IN A SOFTWARE PROCESS.

V. IN CLOSING.

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