A pair programming experience

A gile methods and extreme programming have risen to the forefront of software management and development interest during the last few years. Two definitions of agile are (1) able to move quickly and easily, and (2) mentally alert. Both definitions rely on the capabilities of the people within the development process. The " Agile Manifesto " [1] published in Software Development in 2001 created a new wave of interest in the agile philosophy and reemphasized the importance of people. One of the points highlighted in the manifesto is, " We value individuals and interactions over processes and tools. " That does not mean processes and tools are evil. It implies that individuals and interactions (people) are of higher priority than processes and tools. Textbooks [2, 3] describe the importance of people in these new software development approaches that have demonstrated improved productivity and product quality. Extreme programming (XP) [4] is one member covered by the umbrella of agile methods. Pair programming [5] is a major practice [6] of XP. The official definition of pair programming is two programmers working together, side by side, at one computer collaborating on the same analysis, design, implementation, and test. In other words, consider it like two programmers using one pencil. We have all experienced elements of the pair-programming concept in one way or another during our lives. How many times have you been stuck removing an error from a design or program with no success? When everything else failed, you went to your neighbor programmer, the casual observer , to see if you could get some assistance. While explaining the problem, you have a flash of inspiration, and the problem is quickly solved. How much time did you waste before asking a neighbor for insight? Can you relate this to pair programming? I was introduced to pair programming indirectly as an undergraduate electrical engineering student in the 1950s. The class and laboratory workload were such that any free time during the four-year program was more wishful thinking than reality. Working part time made the program even more daunting. Fortunately, two other electrical engineering students in the same academic program were struggling with different sets of outside commitments. We decided to work together on homework assignments, lab work, and test preparation to lighten the course load. We successfully maintained this approach through the entire program in spite of having been conditioned throughout our lives to …