What is Pair Programming? Advantages, Challenges, Tutorials & More
Start by preparing a baseline assessment – we call them “templates”. This assessment should include the parameters of the coding problem, guidelines for solving it, and the overall goal of the interview. Decide how much you, the interviewer, will assist the candidate during their session.
The navigator will offer suggestions and research answers to impending concerns and challenges. As they code, this individual will strive to verbalize as much of their thought https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ process as possible. They will be in charge of considering the classes, variables, functions, and algorithms that must get coded for the program to achieve its goal.
What Exactly is Pairing?
He said when you pair with someone for any reason both the individuals have to benefit from it. If only one person in the pair keeps on working at the task and the other one just sits besides him then it doesn’t serve any purpose. That is why the ping pong or shifting the keyboards every now and then between both pairs is essential. Pair programming isn’t new; it’s been around the software development industry for decades. As a practice, pair programming originates from the extreme programming (XP) methodology, which prioritizes high software quality and frequent tests and releases. However, it is challenging to find somebody to review your code because people may not want to look at another’s code and understand their reasoning just for the sake of checking its quality.
This way, they get experience working on the different parts of the system being built. While everyone on a project strives to be knowledgeable, there may be one or two programmers who hold the most knowledge of a project’s codebase. These people are sometimes called “towers of knowledge,” and teams may rely on them heavily. This becomes an issue if progress comes to a halt when those people are unable to work due to sickness or other causes. It’s also a good introduction for programmers who are onboarding with a new company.
How does pair programming work?
Pairing is intensive work that requires a heightened level of focus and participation. It’s very taxing to try to pair for more than five or six hours in a day, and even that might be stretching it for even the most resilient of us. When setting up a pairing schedule, try to agree on a fixed and limited time that will fit within a typical eight-hour work day, leaving time for lunch, email, personal tasks, etc. Those personal tasks are essential to our work day, but they’re also distractions that shouldn’t be attempted during a pairing session. How could it be more productive to take two programmers who were previously working on separate projects and have them work together on a single project? To an outsider the idea of pairing may sound counterproductive at first, but the advantages become apparent when you start to think about why we code and what we’re trying to accomplish.
This technique is being taught in computer science courses and can be used with any inanimate objects or even pets, so you don’t have to importune other developers. With pair programming, the whole pair is already involved with the reasoning behind the code. It forces you to convey your mind out loud and explain each step you go through. Therefore, using pair programming in such tough situations that require a second pair of eyes can highly benefit your team. Pair programming is a technique wherein two individuals collaborate on a single program. The “driver” writes the code, while the “navigator” checks each line of code for errors.
Learning
And if one sees problems with the other’s code, then it can be instantly corrected. You also have fewer chances of having bugs written into your code. Code reviews are not as proactive as you have to wait until the code is completed — bugs and all — before somebody could take a look at and correct it. The most common skill combination is an expert programmer working with a less experienced person.
I have been a follower, admirer and advocate of pair programming for a long time. Every time I try to advocate the use of pair programming I come across few faces who raise their eye brows and I get an impression that they are thinking what a waste of time. But I believe that if you use pair programming judiciously it can be a great asset.
What is Pair Programming
As hybrid and remote work is getting increasingly popular, remote pair programming is becoming more common. You’ll definitely want to consider which tools lend themselves to good pair programming experiences, so we’ll look more at those software tools later on in this article. Pair programming methods rely heavily on the pairing of the devs, and one method may be preferable over others based on the coders’ experience and skill. Given pair programming definition that not all developers hold the same experience or skill level, pair programming can be a great opportunity to level up beginners who want to improve their skill set. Each of the two participating developers have well-defined roles when pair programming. The programmer at the keyboard is called a “driver,” while the second programmer is referred to as the “navigator.” This duo can structure their work to fit different styles.
- Getting as explicit as possible about the work and the approach up front will help make the pairing experience much more agreeable.
- The last benefit is inherent to the nature of pair programming and the social dynamics it implies.
- You need it to encapsulate the desired functionality so that your end product behaves properly and performs as expected.
- A better solution is a larger desktop or wall-mounted monitor where the code can be displayed and viewed together more comfortably.
- Studies have shown that pair programming can result in 15% fewer defects in code, depending on the thoroughness of the coders.
- While coding, the driver should have a constant stream of verbal communication with their partner.
In contrast, if they are assigned to work on two different programs individually, the slow-down rate goes close to about 50%. This means that when two people work on one problem collectively, the problem is solved faster than that of one person working on one program. This one reason is enough to state why two are better than one. It’s good to turn on your video camera when pair programming, even if it’s unnecessary. The frequency with which you must switch roles gets determined by your degree of experience.
Pair programming best practices
If you have a team member with experience with pair programming, let them show it to the rest of the team so they can imagine how to do it. But if the pair don’t form that type of ideal match, having them work together could prevent their ability to find creative solutions. One best practice in pair programming is that the two coders maintain an ongoing conversation. Many businesses mistakenly assume the costs would double—two programmers’ salaries versus one for the same output. But because two programmers can collectively work more quickly and fewer mistakes than one programmer coding alone, the actual cost increase is less than double.
It is a proven fact that two brains working on a problem are far better than individual attacking the same problem. People are able to generate ideas by discussing different approaches. There is also the advantage that you need not have a separate code review because it automatically gets reviewed. There is also a shared understanding between two or more individuals related to the same piece of code. In an unfortunate event of bugs arising out of that piece of code potentially there are two people who can address it.
Does pair programming really work
Pair programming requires two developers, one workstation, one keyboard and a mouse. You’ve finished your DevOps training, and it’s time to show off your new skills. Get noticed by hiring managers with these tips on writing your DevOps resume. Some tasks need to be done on your own, like email or returning phone calls. Expecting a pair to work together all the time is unrealistic and could lead to burnout.
