Mob Programming - The State of the Art and Three Case Studies of Open Source Software.

Mob programming is a whole team technique that includes programmers and others such as product owners or testers working together in the same space and time, discussing solutions and writing code in a fast succession on a shared screen and keyboard. This paper includes a literature review and case studies of Mob Programming in software development of three open source software in an academic setting. Aspects and practices involved in the Mob Programming are analyzed. The identification of common practices can serve as standards in the Mob Programming sessions. We carried out experiments with teams practicing this technique. The bond formed among the members were the strengths of the three teams experience. The noise from work in an open room irritated two members, but two members of the same team did not get bothered and was not a problem for the remaining ten other participants. The approval of Mob Programming was unanimous in each retrospective. Providing the infrastructure to use more computers could be useful for parallel searches when a task on the Mob Programming computer takes too long, or when the team needs learn new technologies. We conclude that improved the team learning.