How to maintain good productivity in pair programming despite so much time going in discussion ?

[Monica Shiralkar]

I have been doing pair programming and am experiencing some challenges. When I am pairing with other developer, we join zoom call and speak and do. Although discussions brings out good things but less time get left because some time goes in discussions. Also, one developer shares his screen and does in front of other. When my screen is shared my productivity drops as compared to when I am doing alone. What are ways to still be productive despite these ?thanks

[Stephan van Hulst]

You say that less time is left over because time goes into discussion. Have you also factored in the time you save because of issues caught in an early stage because more than one set of eyes looked at the problem?

As for the productivity issues, you first need to identify why your productivity drops when you are sharing your screen. Why do you feel you're not as productive?

[Campbell Ritchie]

MS, you are confusing amount of code written with your productivity. There is only a correlation between amount of correct code and productivity; any incorrect code counts as anti‑productivity because it takes time to write and more time to find the errors and correct them later.

[Monica Shiralkar]

Stephan van Hulst wrote:You say that less time is left over because time goes into discussion. Have you also factored in the time you save because of issues caught in an early stage because more than one set of eyes looked at the problem?

Agree.

[Monica Shiralkar]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:MS, you are confusing amount of code written with your productivity. There is only a correlation between amount of correct code and productivity; any incorrect code counts as anti‑productivity because it takes time to write and more time to find the errors and correct them later.

Agree.

[Monica Shiralkar]

I agree that saying that productivity drops is not correct. However, there is one problem I face for sure. When I do alone I automatically take 100 percent ownership and with full control I always have track of each and everything. This is because each and every line is typed by me so I know. When I do with someone, instead of 100 percent this percentage decreases, since some part is typed by the collegue which I would know but not as much as what I would know if I do all.I end up knowing more about what I had done than what collegue had done.

[Stephan van Hulst]

That implies you don't understand what your colleague is doing.

If that's the case you need to tell them to slow down and explain what they're doing.

[Tim Moores]

Stephan van Hulst wrote:That implies you don't understand what your colleague is doing.

If that's the case you need to tell them to slow down and explain what they're doing.

+1. Quoted for emphasis. That's the whole point of pair programming, after all - so that both know what the code does, and both agree that that is the best approach for the problem at hand.

[Monica Shiralkar]

Stephan van Hulst wrote:That implies you don't understand what your colleague is doing.

May be I should focus more when the collegue is typing code and not let the focus slip away.

To me or to most employees, if it is asked that do you know what collegue is doing the answer would be Yes. If asked that out of what you typed and what college typed which one do you know more, the answer would be former.