Experiences with Pair Programming?

gmletzkojr queries: "I recently was able to engage in some Pair Programming for a couple of days. However, my experience was less than rewarding. I have read books regarding the subject, and all of the case studies show praise for the effort. I found my pair programmer a bit difficult to work with. Has anyone been in this situation, and what things can be done to work around the personality conflicts?"

Comments

4 years of xp and all i got was this lousy t-shirt

[dwatling]

Things I would recommend:

- Communication. This is by far the most important quality to have as a pair.
- Patience. Sometimes your pair might not be at the same level you are, in this case, it is your job to help get them there.
- Assertiveness. If you have no clue what your pair is doing, ASK!

Other recommendations I have are to force your partner to drive if they are more inexperienced than you. This will help you both learn. If you don't have any idea what's going on then tell your partner you'd like to drive for awhile. I find this helps get you focused and allows you pick things up faster.

Of course, if your partner just isn't willing to cooperate, then I think there are other issues that need to be dealt with. But, for the most part, I think people are more than willing to teach others, you just have to ask and communicate.

Another thing to keep in mind, too, is to give it time. You aren't going to be a master pair after a few days or weeks.