The greatest pair programming mistake
Don't fall into the default trap.
I’m struggling with a bug.
I ask you for help. We hop on a call. I explain the problem to you and how I’m trying to solve it. I keep talking and ranting about my assumptions.
What ends up happening is you joining my perspective.
That’s the trap.
Instead of approaching the problem from a fresh perspective, your perspective has now been damaged.
You see the problem the way I see it.
What you should do is ask me about the problem and tell me what you tried so far.
This way, you learn more about the problem and what’s not working.
Then stop me, and tell me you need some time to think.
This way, we can both step back and see the problem from a different angle.
More importantly, I’m not ruining your perspective.
Yours is more important since it’s fully fresh.
Interesting perspective Tiger.
Two thoughts:
I'd prefer pair programming to be something done to create new code, not just to get past a problem.
Rubber ducking works - where you do just 'rant' (share) the issue. Maybe this is the step post Rubber Duck?
Great reflection, Tiger!
How will your answer be different if your colleague asks questions rather than you making a head start?
I wonder if the issue here is XY problem, situations where the question is about the attempted solution (Y) rather than the root problem itself (X). You could pause once you explain the problem before going into a solution.