Our team has members with different skill levels either in the technology, the application or even the business domain. What is the most productive match when forming pairs?
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As a coach, I tend to favour beginner/expert, with the least knowledgeable developer "owning" the task. The beginner should also drive, at least at the beginning, so s/he doesn't wind up just watching the expert. Why? Because one of the most common problems on software teams occurs when the knowledge reaquired to complete some task is vested in one person's head. By having the least knowledgeable developer drive each task, knowledge spreads very quickly and helps to prevent bottlenecks in the flow. |
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I know of no specific, universal rules for which "kinds of pairs" work most productively. I do know that learning is the bottleneck in any new product development, and that most software development is new product development. If you agree that learning in the bottleneck, then as long as everyone learns while pairing, the "kinds of pairs" matters much less. I believe, and admit I have only observations and anecdotes to justify the claim, that enthusiasm correlates higher to productivity in pairing than experience level or skill level. |
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We do not have any scientific results on this but it seems like these combinations are all beneficial in different ways:
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