Pair Programming Workflow

Focus on learning over productivity

If you’ve chosen to pair on any problem, make sure it’s because you are prioritizing learning over productivity. You’re likely to learn from this experience as well.

Over the long term, leveling up the team knowledge is worth more than completing today’s task.

Take every of your pair’s questions seriously.

You might discover holes in your knowledge or uncover assumptions you didn’t know you had.

Ask questions

“How about we extract a method?”

“Can we find a better way to do this?”

“Should we take a break?”

Admit and lead by example

Admit when you don’t know. Show them how to look it up. Admit when you’re stuck. Show them how you get unblocked. Admit when you’re tired. Show them the worthiness of breaks.

Pairing is about collaboration and shared ownership. If you’re under too much pressure to focus on learning, don’t pair.