Open Space
🌻Last week of September 2023 marked a significant event in the tech industry – the first (Un)Conference on the topic of the Future of Tech was held in Belgrade, Serbia. As a woman with over 10 years of experience in the IT industry, I had the pleasure of participating in this event and using the Open Space format to discuss the current challenges and advantages of two work methodologies in the IT world: pair programming and team programming. (🙋♀️🙋💁🏽♀️🙋🏽♂️)
Having worked in various roles, ecosystems, and work methodologies, I have seen firsthand the impact of these methodologies on personal growth. In this article, I will share some insights that I gained through the Open Space and the Panel Discussion at the (Un)Conference.
Hr or Rh?
⛓️ This was one of the key questions that were raised during the discussions. It is a known challenge that many companies fail to see the real benefits of having two or more people work on a single task. They often perceive it as a waste of resources.
10% of truth
💯 However, this perception is only 10% true. The truth is, these methodologies can be highly beneficial if used for the right purposes. While some tasks can be done independently by programmers, others, such as refactoring or test-first programming, have much greater benefits when approached through these methodologies with proper guidance.
Maintenance… intrspkshn
🤔 Another interesting challenge that was brought up during the discussions was how to maintain enthusiasm among programmers for pair/group programming on a single task.
🙋♀️ As someone who has worked with others in a team, I believe that the key to maintaining enthusiasm lies in deeper introspection for each team member. It is essential for each team member to take responsibility for their own saboteurs at the level of their mind. This means being responsible for one’s own feelings, emotions, thoughts, and actions. To achieve this, people need a framework that enables them to do so on a daily basis. Therefore, the keyword is RESPONSIBILITY.
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
As Winston Churchill once said
This quote perfectly captures the essence of pair and team programming. It is not about avoiding failure, but rather learning from it and continuously improving.
Vlnrlbty
🧠 Part of the discussion at the (Un)Conference also focused on psychological safety during pair/group work. Vulnerability is a common resistance that occurs due to saboteurs, as well as resistance to this type of work. The conclusion was that we will never reach the level of psychological safety that is imposed on us through various stories.
🗝️ Instead, the key lies in deep introspection. Only by doing so can we provide psychological safety to ourselves and the environment we are in, strengthening both our own and our team’s resilience regardless of the circumstances and challenges that arise.
👂🏻 I was glad to hear that there are people who practice these methodologies and reap the benefits of their work on their projects. It was also encouraging to see the interest in deeper self-work.
🙏 I would like to extend my thanks to Milica, Filip from Devistify, and all the other team members for organizing this event, as well as the panelists and open space contributors. Special thanks to Tenderly from Belgrade for providing us with their venue for this event. 🤘
