New Twist in Agile: Parallel Programming
The other day, Bret and I started working on a card that broke down into numerous, smaller tasks. We began refactoring our procedural code to be Object Oriented along with adding better validations. We paired throughout the day, while working on one of our larger test case .rb files.
The next day, we discussed whether we should continue pair programming or work in parallel. We decided to Parallel Program, a term he defined. We are working individually on different cards, but in parallel within the same task. We can collaborate on issues/ideas as we move forward (we sit next to one another, so talking to each other is very easy). We have a review process too, so as one of us completes a card, there will be a discussion/code review about what we changed. So far, it's working well. We're also able to get some velocity by doing this too. Not every card can work in this fashion, but for some, it's a good fit.
Anyone else have similar experiences?
EDIT: Bret showed me in Alistair Cockburn's book Crystal Clear, the Alistair refers to this technique as Side-by-Side Programming. I still prefer the term Parallel Programming over Side-by-Side Programming though.
