There are many advocates of Pair Programming explaining why
they think this way of organising software developers’ work is good for the
company. But I have not seen much explanation why it might be good for a developer.
We, developers, usually enjoy what we do and care enough for the success of the
projects we work on, but I don’t think many of us would get up in the morning
and commute to our place of work if there was something for us as well – we
would like to be paid well and we like to have a career. This means that our
choices are not defined by what good for the company but also what is good for
us personally.
Pair Programming was around for quite some time (XP is here
since 2000), but I have a feeling that recently I am hearing more about this
then I heard before.
Interestingly I also have an impression that when hear about
100% pairing, it would normally be either involve an IT consultancy practising
it or people who in the past used to work for one of IT consultancies.
I suspect there is a reason for IT consultancies to practise
pair programming – you can charge for two people doing the same work (explaining
that “it improves the quality”) and it would allow them to send to a customer
an inexperienced developers paired with one that have experience while charging
if they both were experienced.
I can also understand why managers might like it – it allows
them to see developers as an exchangeable “resource”, eliminating a “bus
factor” while at the same time ensuring that the developers police each other
in terms of actually “doing the job” and having even to inform each other when
they go for a pee.
What I don’t understand is why some developers support this?
Do people really want to be sitting next to someone else at
the same desk day in and day out instead of having their own place in the
office, which they can personalise the way they like (pictures of kittens, Star
Wars poster or whatever else their personal kink would be). Don’t they want a
place where they don’t have to suffer because someone else has poor hygiene
habits?
Do they want to be able to use any IDE they fancy and setup
their machine to whatever weird configuration they favour, or do they prefer
this decided by a “committee” and they been forced to follow rules?
Do they like to be “one of the pair” instead of “that guy
who did that cool thing”? Are they feeling too insecure in their professional
abilities that they are afraid to work on their own?
How do they see themselves in 10 years time? Still be a
faceless member of a “Team” members of which are not even trusted to work on
their own at their own desks?
Talking about personal interest as far as a developer
concern I can see only disadvantages:
-
It is more difficult to demonstrate your own
abilities and worth to the management if they never see your name attached
to anything unless it is with other person, hence less chances of career
advancement based on your own abilities as a programmer.
-
The management sees you as replaceable (as far
as they concern there are always other people available to do your job,
everybody you are pairing with are good enough candidates).
-
You have less freedom over what you do and how
you do it – you have to explain every step to your pair and you have to
coordinate with others all your activities
-
You have less comfort in your workplace, as you
have to share space in front of the screen with someone else.
