Page 236 - DCAP305_PRINCIPLES_OF_SOFTWARE_ENGINEERING

Principles of Software Engineering

Notes that they enjoyed programming more when they worked with a partner. Ninety-six percent of
them indicated they felt more confident in their product when they worked with a partner.
Increased Teamwork: Pair programmers get to know their classmates much better because they
work so closely together.

Enhanced learning: Pairs continuously learn by watching how their partners approach a task,
how they use their language capabilities, and how they use the development tools.

11.3.3 How Does Pair Programming Work?
It may seem odd that two people can sit down at one computer and finish in about half the
time, with higher quality code, and enhanced morale, teamwork, and learning. But studies have
shown that pairing makes work differently.

Pair Pressure
• Programmers say they work harder and smarter on programs because they do not want
to let their partner down.
• Programmers say they work very intensively because they are highly motivated to complete
the task at hand during the session.
Pair Negotiation

The second of the pair programming behaviours we discuss is one we call pair-negotiation. The
term pair negotiation is describe how two pair programmers arrive at the best solution together,
when pairing is working at its best:
• Each person brings to the partnership his or her own set of skills, abilities, and outlooks.
• Both share the same goal for completing the task.
• Each person has a suggested alternative for attacking a joint problem.

• The partners must negotiate how to jointly approach the problem. In this negotiation,
they evaluate more alternatives than either one would have considered alone, whereas,
a person working alone tends to pursue the first approach that comes to mind. Together,
the partners consider and include each other’s suggestions and determine the best plan
of attack.
Brainstorming
Pair brainstorming describes the give-and-take procedure in which two people work together
to resolve a problem. They share their knowledge and energy, chipping steadily away at the
problem, evolving a solution to the problem. An effective technique of brainstorm is to build
upon the ideas of others. A subtle difference in pair brainstorming though, is that the driver
might actually be working out a design or implementing part of the problem, realizing that he
or she may ultimately come to a dead end in their problem resolution. The navigator, while
watching the driver’s partial design or implementation, also begins thinking about the next
step. When the driver hits the dead end, the navigator is often prepared to take over and lead
the way. Often, the cycle continues until the problem is determined.

Pair Debugging
Every person has experienced problems that can be determined simply through the act of
explaining the problems to another person. Others have cited the need just to have a cardboard
cut-out of their favorite guru or a rubber duck. When they have a problem, they must explain
the problem to the inanimate helper, often finding the elusive flaw in the logic. Doubtlessly, it
is better to have an animate person to debug with than an inanimate helper. A person will ask
questions and will likely cause you to frequently explain your reasoning.

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