Company
Date Published
Author
Cory Johannsen
Word count
998
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

The New Relic team successfully implemented mob programming, a variation of pair programming where one computer is shared among an entire development team, to boost collaboration and productivity. By rotating drivers every five minutes and encouraging distracted team members to step away, the team maintained high energy levels, intellectual interaction, and focus on producing quality software. Mobbing increased social interactions across the team, fostered a culture of consensus-building, and ensured that all team members contributed equally to the development process. The team also established working rules, such as putting phones away and being present, to maintain focus during sessions. Mob programming resulted in record time for building new features, improved software quality, and enhanced collaboration among team members.