An interpretation of the results of the analysis of pair programming during novices integration in a team

Abstract

In this paper we present a study on how pair programming (PP) facilitates the introduction of new developers (novices) in a team. Data has been collected non-invasively on how people paired in an industrial team of developers for 10 months; during such time novices joined the team. We focused on spontaneous PP, that is, on PP occurring when developers think it is most effective. Social network analysis techniques are used to analyze developers interactions and infer possible conclusions. It appears that initially PP is used to initiate novices, then it is drastically reduced to be resumed eventually when novices ldquofeelrdquo they have reached a significant level of maturity in the team. These phases are coherent with available works on group development and confirm existing findings on the importance of PP in the introduction of novices in teams, and, more generally, on team dynamics.