Go solo to take a break

When you see the value in pairing, it’s tempting to pair all the time. Pair programming is intense and tiring - you’ll know when you try it. People will need a breather. You may have very simple coding activities that won’t benefit from the intense code review of pair programming. These are great candidates for solo work that people can sign up for when they need a break from pairing. 

Sometimes people will need to go solo, if only to build their confidence. Birgitta and Nina suggest a solution.

Birgitta Böckeler & Nina Siessegger

“Running into a problem ourselves is often a more effective learning experience than somebody telling us that we are going to walk into it. There are a few ways to counteract this. One is to let junior programmers work by themselves from time to time, with a mentor who regularly checks in and does some code review.”