How do you pair program with different skill levels and backgrounds?

Pair programming is a core practice of agile methodologies, where two developers work together on the same code, sharing a keyboard and a screen. It can improve the quality, speed, and creativity of your software development, as well as foster collaboration and learning among your team. But how do you pair program effectively with people who have different skill levels and backgrounds? In this article, we will explore some tips and techniques to make the most of your pair programming sessions, regardless of your partner's experience, knowledge, or personality.

1 Benefits of pair programming

Pair programming can bring many benefits to your software development process, such as reducing bugs and errors, enhancing the readability and maintainability of the code, increasing the productivity and efficiency of the team, boosting the creativity and innovation of the team, promoting the knowledge transfer and skill development of the team, and improving the communication and collaboration of the team. By having a second pair of eyes on the code, following consistent standards and conventions, avoiding distractions and solving problems faster, generating more ideas and perspectives, sharing best practices and feedback, and building trust and rapport, pair programming can help your team reach its goals.

Add your perspective

Saurabh Sharma

Hands-on Technical/Solution Architect @IBM UK | GenAI-watsonx | TDD | Full-stack microservices architecture | Helping enterprises with Digital Transformation and GenAI Adoption.
Report contribution
- I used to pair programming every day on every user story when I was working in ThoughtWorks. It was a very fantastic experience and help to build a robust, optimised and better solution. - E.g if we do pair-programming on rotational pairs for multiple modules as a full-stack developer it will improve domain & functional knowledge. It helps to grab end-to-end knowledge of a feature and business. - I love to pursue more and more to do pair-programming that reduces the overhead of code review and promotes Trunk-based development but it's very hard to get the right team, project, or company that is willing to pursue it for most of the companies I would say it's a definition, not practice or discipline.

Like

2 Challenges of pair programming

Pair programming can present some difficulties, particularly when working with someone who has a different skill level or background. These issues can include feeling frustrated or bored by the pace or complexity of the code, intimidated or insecure by the expertise or confidence of your partner, confused or overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity or diversity of the code, annoyed or offended by the style or attitude of your partner, or isolated or excluded by the language or culture of your partner.

Add your perspective

Saurabh Sharma

Hands-on Technical/Solution Architect @IBM UK | GenAI-watsonx | TDD | Full-stack microservices architecture | Helping enterprises with Digital Transformation and GenAI Adoption.
Report contribution
- In my experience, finding the right team, project, company and more on this adequate mindset to acquire this skill of practice. - E.g it is not a one-person job or developers need to decide to pursue. It is required top-to-bottom process improvement of adoption. - It is not hard to adopt but it's hard to get people with this mindset to be willing to pursue it. Due to delivery commitments, the pressure it's very hard to apply unless n until the startup or good companies such as ThoughtWorks

Like

3 Tips for pair programming

To make the most of pair programming, it is important to adopt strategies and practices that can help you work well with your partner, regardless of their skill level or background. Consider setting clear goals and expectations for each session, and agreeing on the roles and responsibilities of each partner. Additionally, choose a suitable pair programming style, such as driver-navigator, ping-pong, or peer-to-peer, depending on the task and the partner. It is also beneficial to switch roles and partners frequently, to balance the workload and the learning opportunities. Furthermore, communicate openly and respectfully, and listen actively and empathetically to your partner. Ask questions and provide feedback, and encourage your partner to do the same, to improve your understanding and performance. Lastly, respect and appreciate the differences and similarities between you and your partner, and learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Add your perspective

4 Tools for pair programming

Pair programming can be done in person or remotely, depending on the availability and preference of your team. To facilitate collaboration and coordination, you need tools such as a code editor or IDE that supports real-time collaboration and synchronization, a version control system to track and merge changes, a communication platform to chat and call your partner, a screen sharing or remote desktop software to see and control your partner's screen, and a testing or debugging tool to verify and fix your code. Examples of these tools include Visual Studio Code, Git, Slack, TeamViewer, and JUnit.

Add your perspective

5 Best practices for pair programming

Pair programming is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it may not work for every situation or team. To make the most of your pair programming experience, it is important to pair program only when it makes sense, and choose tasks and features that benefit from collaboration and feedback. Additionally, you should be prepared with the code and environment before starting the session, and respect your partner's and your own preferences and availability. Furthermore, you should seek help or guidance when you encounter difficulties or challenges, and have fun and enjoy the process of learning and creating together.

Add your perspective

How do you pair program with different skill levels and backgrounds?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Benefits of pair programming

2 Challenges of pair programming

3 Tips for pair programming

4 Tools for pair programming

5 Best practices for pair programming

Agile Methodologies

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Agile Methodologies

More relevant reading

How do you pair program with different skill levels and backgrounds?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Benefits of pair programming

2 Challenges of pair programming

3 Tips for pair programming

4 Tools for pair programming

5 Best practices for pair programming

Agile Methodologies

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills