Pair Planning

Pair Planning is a collaborative approach for tasks in a team environment. It involves two or more team members working together to discuss, define, and plan the work that needs to be done. This documentation outlines the reasons why we use Pair Planning in our organization and its benefits to our development and project management processes.

What is Pair Planning?

Pair Planning is a practice where two or more team members come together to jointly plan and discuss a specific task. During Pair Planning sessions, team members engage in discussions, share their insights, and work together to create a plan that ensures the successful completion of the task.

Why Do We Use Pair Planning?

Sharing Knowledge

One of the primary reasons for adopting Pair Planning in our organization is to foster knowledge sharing among team members. When team members come together to plan and discuss tasks, they bring their unique perspectives, experiences, and expertise to the table. This allows for the transfer of knowledge between team members and helps ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding task requirements, best practices, and potential challenges.

Key Benefits

• Knowledge Transfer: Pair Planning facilitates the exchange of knowledge and best practices, allowing team members to learn from each other and improve their skills.
• Reduced Knowledge Silos: By working together, team members can break down knowledge silos and ensure that critical information is not concentrated in the hands of a few individuals.
• Improved Decision-Making: Collaborative discussions during Pair Planning often lead to better-informed decisions, reducing the likelihood of making costly mistakes.

A Good Start with the Ticket

In some cases, tickets or task descriptions may not provide all the necessary information needed for successful completion. Pair Planning allows team members to collectively gather additional information, brainstorm potential challenges, and devise solutions before diving into the work. This proactive approach minimizes disruptions and bottlenecks during the execution phase.

Key Benefits

• Comprehensive Planning: Team members can identify and address potential roadblocks or dependencies early in the planning process, reducing delays and surprises later.
• Risk Mitigation: By discussing potential challenges and uncertainties during Pair Planning, the team can develop strategies to mitigate risks effectively.
• Resource Allocation: Pair Planning helps in identifying resource requirements, such as specialized skills or tools, ensuring that they are available when needed.

In conclusion, Pair Planning is an essential practice in our organization because it promotes knowledge sharing, ensures a strong start with tasks, and guarantees that all necessary information is available for successful project execution. By fostering collaboration and proactive planning, we aim to enhance the efficiency, quality, and overall success of our development and project management processes.

When is Pair Planning Needed?

• Always consider using Pair Planning when you require additional information and perceive the task as complex.
• Especially when embarking on a new project, if you are unfamiliar with the specific project or client, Pair Planning proves highly valuable for gaining insights into the client and the project's theme.

note

Embracing Pair Planning is never an incorrect choice.

The Pair Planning Session

A guide on what to discuss during Pair Planning:

1. Identify Potential Roadblocks/Risks:
   • Discuss potential challenges or obstacles that might arise during the task.
   • Identify any external dependencies, such as third-party services or APIs, and assess their reliability.
2. Review Implementation Approach:
   • Determine if the task follows a standard implementation or if it involves any unique or non-standard components.
   • Check if there are similar projects or implementations that can serve as a reference or if this is entirely new territory.
3. Developer's Environment:
   • Confirm that the developer has a properly set up development environment.
   • Verify that the required development tools, libraries, and frameworks are installed and up-to-date.
   • Discuss any specific configuration or dependencies needed for the task.
4. Access to CMS:
   • Check if the developer has access to the Content Management System (CMS) if it's necessary for the task.
   • If access is required and not available, discuss the process for creating an account or gaining access.
5. Access to Webshop as an E-commerce User:
   • Ensure the developer has the required access privileges to the webshop, especially if the task involves e-commerce functionality.
   • If access is needed and not present, outline the steps to create an e-commerce user account.
6. Configuration Status:
   • Determine if the task requires specific configurations, and if so, whether they have already been completed.
   • If configuration is outstanding, clarify whether it's the developer's responsibility or if it should be handled by someone else on the team.
7. Estimation:
   • Discuss and estimate the time required to complete the task.
   • Consider the complexity of the task, the developer's familiarity with the technology stack, and any potential challenges that might affect the timeline.
   • Specify whether the estimation includes testing and quality assurance.
8. Additional Information:
   • If there are any additional requirements, constraints, or expectations related to the task, discuss them during the planning session.
   • Ensure that everyone involved in the Pair Planning is clear on the project's objectives and desired outcomes.

By addressing these questions and discussing these points during Pair Planning, the team can ensure a comprehensive understanding of the task, minimize potential roadblocks, and create a well-informed plan for successful execution.

note

Pair Planning has a maximum timebox of 20 minutes

What to Do with the Results of a Pair Planning Session?

Capturing the results of a Pair Planning session in the form of detailed comments within the ticket is an excellent practice to ensure that all relevant information is documented and easily accessible to other team members who may need to work on the task in case of unavailability. Don’t forget to add links or references to any documentation, code repositories, or resources that are relevant to the task.

Who Should I Contact for Pair Planning?

When you need to schedule a Pair Planning session, it's crucial to collaborate effectively and ensure that the right team member, preferably a Front-end developer with knowledge of CloudSuite, is available to provide insights and guidance.

How to Initiate a Pair Planning Session?

1. To minimize disruption and respect the developer's focus, plan your Pair Planning session in advance.
2. Initiate contact via the Slack channel (#team-Front-end), during Daily Scrum, or through a Direct Message.
3. Clearly state the task you need to plan.
4. Before the Pair Planning session, gather any relevant information, documentation, or questions related to the task.

TL;DR

Pair Planning is a collaborative approach where team members work together to plan tasks. It promotes knowledge sharing, ensures a clear start for tasks, and gathers comprehensive information for successful project execution. Use it when tasks are complex, require additional insights, or when you start working on a new project/client. The session should cover potential roadblocks, implementation approach, developer's environment, access to systems, configuration, estimation, and more. Contact a Front-end developer with CloudSuite knowledge for Pair Planning and record the results in detailed comments within the ticket. Plan sessions in advance and gather relevant information beforehand.

🎉 That's it. Happy Planning!