The Mob Mentality Show

"All the brilliant K-12 students working on the same thing... at the same time...in the same space...on the same computer..."

How are you raising up the next generation of developers? Is there a way to teach kids programming that is less like a "sage on the stage" and more like a "guide on the side"? 

Join Chris and Austin as they discuss with #educators Jeanine Rioux and David Coopersmith how they have used collaborative coding techniques like #MobProgramming to teach CompSci for K-12 students. They not only share how they code with the kids in the classroom but also about how they set up annual #MobProgramming experiences for their students with Chris, Austin, and other professional engineers. Lastly, they discuss how they help themselves and other teachers pursue the goal of being life-long learners.

Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/hnKRX0SV7cM

What is the way you solve a tough problem? Regardless if it is related to code, tech, people, or process, is the best approach to relentlessly keep working at it with all your will and might? Or is there another way that is less exhausting? 

In regards to change initiatives, do you truly have #empathy and understanding for so-called "laggards" in the diffusion of innovation curve? Is there a concrete way to build it?

Join Chris and Austin as they discuss with and are inspired by Linda Rising.

Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/SW736CjNMjY

What if we thought about our conversations like a unit test in Test Driven Development (TDD). Not in the sense of treating people like computers and being robotic but in the sense of failing fast and correcting fast... in the sense of having a test in place to verify understanding and context before taking the next small step in the conversation. Would we avoid big batch conversations full of misunderstandings? Would we catch errors in conversation before they compound into production defects? Join Chris and Austin as they discuss with Mark Holmes about "TDD for people" as well as micro-retrospectives and experimentation.

Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/BexHm0TD6gM

How quickly do Jr. developers onboard and "come up to speed" on your team? Are they learning and collaborating with the team on day #1? Do they feel part of the team immediately? Do they feel like they are interrupting someone else's work flow when they ask questions? Is their fresh perspective being heard to safely contribute to the code base? Join Chris and Austin as they discuss with Ben Holmes how he not only kick-started a job as a Jr. dev via Mob Programming, but also a career. On top of that, they discuss cross-discipline collaboration with PMs and designers. Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/EmNY26J3ruM

If your team replaced all of its members over time, is your team functionally the same? What mindset and practices keep your team happy and high performing even through change? If team change is inevitable, how can you be good at it?

Join Chris and Austin as they discuss the Ship of Theseus analogy applied to teams.

Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/hV_WhqRJgRE

Are your teams truly cohesive? Or just a loose association of individuals? Does your team problem solve from a shared context? Or work in isolation but shallowly sync up on occasion?Is onboarding and building social capital a breeze? Or a long-drawn-out endeavor? If interested in the former, who better to hear it from than a whole mob programming team from South Africa that has lived it. Join Chris and Austin as they discuss these topics and more with Jacques Blom, David Chaplin, and Dean Gracey from the company Names & Faces. 

Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/aQej3Tnfeog

Does your flavor of #agility have the all proper seasoning to last? Does it include all the necessary facets to thrive? Does it have the proper time frames in mind to match the business goals? Do you have metaphors and analogies that really resonate with your org's domain? Join Chris and Austin as we have a fantastic discussion with Kyle Griffin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-aretae/) on these topics and more (e.g. militant humility, Extreme Programming, learning).

Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/-5ef6e0REo4

1.) People can estimate well what they have done many times before. 

2.) Software developers automate what is repetitive or time consuming. 

3.) To estimate something well one must have repeated it many times before and not automated it. 

4.) Why would a software developer not automate something repeated many times before? 

Join Chris and Austin as they discuss and grapple with this paradox.

 

Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/woF8lkhxKgc

Want to reduce the cognitive load and setup time for first time mobbers? Want to learn some tips, tricks, and tools for remote training? Want to establish a safe place in your org for effective learning and coaching? Come join Chris and Austin as they discuss these topics and more with Michael Migliacio (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-migliacio/).

Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/WtyYzcRrWD0

Is #MobProgramming just burning money? How could it possibly be efficient? What does Mob Programming look like in a #Scrum context? Join Chris and Austin as they discuss these questions and more with Dan Puckett. Dan has not only introduced Mob Programming to numerous Scrum teams via invitation and experimentation but he has done so in a consistent way each time with specific measurements. Come hear the fascinating results from these various experiments.Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/h-baijxbBYs