Why You Shouldn’t Code Alone

Why You Shouldn't Code Alone | Steel City Ruby Conf.

This is a great inspirational piece. Getting stuck in your own bubble is never great for longevity, but it really got me thinking about a workflow I was in not long ago. I spent some time pair programming for the first time and it was awesome. Productivity wasn’t off the charts (not by a long shot) but that’s because of the tasks at hand. It was mostly a knowledge sharing pairing, and that’s where the process has really shined for me.

Instead of reading pages upon pages of documentation, Googling time and time again, and finding ourselves painted into a corner, we were able to talk about what we were doing piece by piece and have everything come together nicely. What’s great is that during a knowledge-sharing-focused session of pair programming, not only is the novice learning exponentially faster than normal, it’s a great refresher for the veteran. You’re able to check yourself by having to explain the processes you’re going through.

If you haven’t had the chance to pair program I highly suggest it. I’m looking forward to circumstances being right for a larger project-oriented session of pair programming to see the effectiveness on productivity as compared to knowledge sharing.