By now, I have heard several excuses from developers and managers who had their reasons not to pair program. As far as I’ve seen, the doubts and inhibitions arise from experiences involving bad practices.

Two of the earliest ENIAC engineers, Jean Bartik and Betty Snyder were a pair in the 1940s when they worked on the first ENIAC machines. “I believe that the best programs and designs are done by pairs, because you can criticise each other, and find each other’s errors, and use the best ideas,” Bartik said.

If two of the early programmers in the history of computer science could pair, so can you.

Once you master the skill, pair programming can be rewarding and starts to become more fun. Trust me when I say that pair programming works for everyone. You just have to find the style that works for you and your partner.

So, if you are new to this and find pairing intimidating, start small. Start with a small bug or a task that is simple to achieve. The next step would be to pick a personable developer you know to pair with. When you start out, it helps to pair with nicer, communicative people. Lastly, remember that people aren’t mind readers, so be communicative yourself and think out loud as much as possible.

In this article, I’ve listed some basic requirements to have a successful pair programming session.

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