What is going right: Mob Programming Benefits (Part 2)
I have been in the mob for over a year and have more aspects of mob programming that I would like to share. Let's jump right into What is going right: Mob Programming Benefits (Part 2).
- Idea Generation & Development
- Efficient use of time
Idea Generation & Development
Mob programming promotes the generation and development of ideas. You have multiple team members to bounce your ideas off in order to come up with the best solution. You do not need to come up with entire solutions on your own or have a fully thought out idea.
I have found myself presenting a half-baked idea, knowing that with the help of my team members we can work the idea into something real. It is a great feeling to be able to present just half of an idea and get input from the team on how to build it out to fruition.
This also helps in the opposite direction. If I present an idea not fully thought out and a team member can point out the flaws; I do not have to waste any more time trying to build the idea when in the end it would not even work anyway.
It is hard trying to take an abstract concept in your head and code it up into a full solution all on your own. But with mob programming, you have the help of your team the whole way.
Efficient Use of Time
Mob programming makes efficient use of the developer's time. My mob only has one, yes ONE, regularly scheduled meeting a week. And even better only one mob member has to attend so the three of us on my mob rotate. I go to one regularly scheduled meeting every 3 weeks.
The rest of my time is spent coding. If my mob decides we should discuss a topic more in-depth before jumping into code we do not schedule a meeting and find a conference room away from our computer to discuss. We simply swivel our chairs to the whiteboard or just start talking.
On a good mob, the impromptu discussion just happens when it needs to. If the code is flowing fast then no need to discuss if we are up against a challenge to start discussing.
Mob programming lets you focus on the code, which is exactly what every developer wants to do!
Stay tuned for more What is going right: Mob Programming posts. If you have not read part 1 check it out here