Episode #44: Rob Park

In this episode, Rob Park, an independent software consultant and Agile coach talks about all aspects of remote pair programming, different ways distributed teams choose to communicate, and the art of participating in daily standups. Show Notes: Twitter: @robpark 00:30 – Rob Park introduction & history [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Independent software consultant & Agile coach Teams trying to hang on to good talent Based in Colorado [/unordered_list] 02:22 – Remote pairing [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Extreme programming background Finding the right setup Great way to get ideas Fun to work that way [/unordered_list] 06:20 – Pairing etiquette [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Visual cues Asking permission [/unordered_list] 07:51 – Communication is everything [unordered_list style=”bullet”] You can tell the health of an Agile team by the buzz in the room The keyboard is not the bottleneck [/unordered_list] 09:13 – Ways teams choose to communicate [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Open chat rooms and IRC channels Open Skype room Chatrooms will die if people do not participate IM tools Email in some rare instances [/unordered_list] 11:24 – Standups via phone [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Freedom to be wherever you want to be Headsets required even when co-located Enforce contact [/unordered_list] 13:44 – Kanbanpad [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Whiteboards Webcams set up on all the whiteboards [/unordered_list] 18:22 – Standing up while doing standups [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Easy to lose focus in front of a screen [/unordered_list] 20:40 – Joining a distributed team in the future [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Going stir-crazy in the house Pairing in public [/unordered_list] 23:05 – Problems getting synced during a pairing session [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Promiscuous pairing Timezone issues Be flexible and patient [/unordered_list] 26:56 – Encouraging pairing 30:55 – Tips and tricks [unordered_list style=”bullet”] Enabling remote workers Privilege to work at home [/unordered_list]