The end of the pairing experiment

I have spoken and written about the pairing experiment for sharing knowledge between agile teams that I facilitated for the testers in my organisation. After 12 months of pairing, in which we saw many benefits, I asked the testers whether they would like to continue. The result was overwhelming:

Survey Results

I had asked this same question regularly through the experiment, but this was the first time that a majority of respondents had asked to stop pairing. As a result, we no longer do structured, rostered, cross-team pairing.

Why?

The first and most obvious reason is above. If you ask people for their opinion on an activity that they're being instructed to undertake, and they overwhelmingly don't want to do it, then there's questionable value in insisting that it happens regardless. Listen to what you are being told.

But, behind the survey results is a reason that opinion has changed. This result told me that the testers believed we didn't need the experiment anymore, which meant they collectively recognised that the original reason for its existence had disappeared.

The pairing experiment was put in place to address a specific need. In mid-2015 the testers told me that they felt siloed from their peers who worked in different agile teams. The pairing experiment was primarily focused on breaking down these perceived barriers by sharing ideas and creating new connections.

After 12 months of rostered pairing the testers had formed links with multiple colleagues in different product areas. The opportunity to work alongside more people from the same products offered diminishing returns. Each tester already had the visibility of, and connection to, other teams.

Additionally, our pairing experiment wasn't happening in isolation. Alongside, the testers within particular product areas started to interact more frequently in regular team meetings and online chat channels. We also started meeting as an entire testing competency once a week for afternoon tea.

The increased collaboration between testers has shifted our testing culture. The testers no longer feel that they are disconnected from their colleagues. Instead there's a strong network of people who they can call on for ideas, advice and assistance.

The pairing experiment achieved its objective. I'm proud of this positive outcome. I'm also proud that we're all ready to let the experiment go. I think it's important to be willing to change our approach - not just by introducing new ideas, but also by retiring those that have fulfilled their purpose.

Now that we've stopped pairing, there's time available for the next experiment. I'm still thinking about what that might be, so that our testing continues to evolve.