Metapatterns: Beginning mobbing

Context

A group that has never mobbed before, or is relatively new to mobbing / new to each other / hasn’t explored how we might mob in a disciplined way.

This group has not yet learned how to communicate effectively, so they’ll need extra structure to help with that.

Purpose

Experience mobbing at a level they can absorb.

How To

[Practice Musical Chairs] to help people learn how to rotate when they’re not also thinking about code.

[Rotate on Timer] every 3 minutes.

[Single Navigator] to make it clear how decisions are made.

If one person knows mobbing / knows the technology / knows the solution to the problem you’re working on, have them [Navigate the Navigator].

For the first hour, do a simple kata. FizzBuzz is fine. The point is to practice mobbing, not to practice programming. Focus on Kindness, Consideration, and Respect.

For a team that is looking to explore mobbing, do 1 hour of mobbing each day for at least a week. This lets the team learn mobbing without it interfering much with regular work.

Have a short retro at the end of the hour, with some extra attention on Kindness, Consideration, and Respect.