The Mob Mentality Show

Clear & Simple with Dustin Thostenson

Is laziness in software development good or bad?How about a lack of focus? When is it good for a system to favor short attention spans? When is it not so good?
Join Chris and Austin as they have a lively discussion with Dustin Thostenson on the topic of "Clear & Simple." They first dive into learning by doing, katas, understanding others, and being understood. Then they not only explore the paradoxes involved in laziness and focus but also share about how those things tie into improving interpersonal skills via mob programming.
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/izcEefyTZVw 

What Goes on in Dedicated Learning Time?

Heard of dedicated learning time but never experienced it yourself?Curious what people actually do during this mystical time?
Join Chris and Austin as they share about what goes on in dedicated learning time. They not only give examples of some activities they have seen (e.g., solo vs. group learning), but they also share what they are doing in dedicated learning time right now. Topics also covered include learning how to learn and the interplay between production work and dedicated learning time. 
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/bFwVytv-Iik 

Collective Product Ownership

If silos are problematic for technical knowledge, are they also problematic for product knowledge?Should product experimentation, decisions, and prioritization be owned by the "single wringable neck"? Or can it be owned by a team?
Join Chris and Austin as they share about "Collective Product Ownership." After they discuss the distinction between a siloed feature factory and a shared feature discovery shop, Austin shares a collective product ownership mob case study on an IoT cloud innovation. Come see how group customer interaction, group visioning, group diagramming, and group product experimentation is not only possible but also can be fun and effective.
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/lD-4CpPGg5Q 

The Joy of Continuous Delivery with Dave Farley

"Production Deployments" …does this phrase strike fear into your soul? Or Joy? Stress or Peace? What things are conducive to dreadful delivery? What things are conducive to delightful delivery?
Join Chris and Austin as they discuss "The Joy of Continuous Delivery" with Dave Farley. Dave not only shares about the Zen of Continuous Delivery (CD) but also shares about barriers to CD, TDD/BDD & CD, small steps, and CD coaching. They also discuss Modern Software Engineering (in a hyper-agile context) and the ROI of learning organizations.
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/mjoBw1utFAY 

Throughput Accounting for Knowledge Work with Daniel Doiron

Is Theory of Constraints and Throughput Accounting in opposition to Lean and Agile thinking? How about with Mob Programming? Or, are the relationships more synergistic?
Join Chris and Austin as worlds collide in this discussion with Daniel Doiron on "Throughput Accounting for Knowledge Work." It starts off with summaries of Theory of Constraints, Throughput Accounting, The Goal, Brown Money, and Green Money. Then they dive into Special vs. Common Causes and compare/contrast it all with Lean, Agile, Kanban, and Ensemble Programming. 
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/WAtNnyGEBSg 

Creating Coding Careers via Mob Programming with Mike Roberts

What things make a career in tech unattainable for some?What would make a career in tech accessible to more people?Once someone has started their code journey, what things help a career flourish?
Join Austin and Chris as they discuss with Mike Roberts making tech careers accessible and equitable at Creating Coding Careers. Mike not only shares about the mission and results of https://cccareers.org/ but he also shares many aspects of his "playbook" for enhancing and enriching the early career of developers: e.g., Mob Programming, Apprenticeship, Mentors, Job Placement, etc. 
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/RPOXewO7ZeQ  

Mob Programming from a College Student’s Perspective with Jack Wei, Joel Plotnik, and Alec Arce

You may have heard about Mob Programming from a professional developer's perspective. But have you heard about it first hand from a college student's perspective?
Join Chris and Austin as they ask college students Jack Wei, Joel Plotnik, and Alec Arce about their ensemble experiences with other students and with professional engineers. Jack, Joel, and Alec share about what they liked and what they did not like in their weekly mobbing sessions. Lastly, as they reach the end of their college journey, they offer advice to college students who are just starting out. 
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/tg84bP-s3Mg 

Mob Emails and Communication

How did you learn to communicate well?How do you teach emotional intelligence and tact to other team members?What are ways teams can interact with others where it feels like it's coming from a team and not just an individual?
Come join Chris and Austin as they share how they write emails and learn/teach communication skills in an ensemble. Flow efficiency patterns and anti-patterns are covered. Email "refactoring" stories are shared. Come hear how collective ownership not only applies to code but also to communication, slides, and yes... GIFs!
Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/ayhbFAJm6Zs 

Refactor, THEN... Red Green Refactor

"To refactor, or not to refactor," that is the question when starting new work and before writing the first test.
Join Chris and Austin as they discuss the applicability of "Refactor, THEN... Red Green Refactor." Inspired by the Kent Beck quote "For each desired change, make the change easy (warning: this may be hard), then make the easy change," they walk though some examples of when they found it valuable to do so in TDD ensembles. On the other hand, they also discuss cases when the mob they were in decided to jump straight into "Red Green Refactor" without the refactor first. Lastly, they share their stances on refactoring when creating prototypes.
Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/ANuh_z9rUno 

Ludicrous Speed Learning with Willem Larsen

Is there something that could put learning into hyperdrive in your context? For example, what environment, principles, and practices could enable onboarding to occur with speed and quality?
Join Chris, Austin, and Willem Larsen as they not only share stories of "Ludicrous Speed Learning" but also discuss #EnsembleFirst as an alternative mindset and way to experiment with flow efficiency. In addition, they talk through organizational change in relation to ensemble programming, skills, and vocabulary (e.g., when to use the word "mob" vs. the word "ensemble").
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/Hx9GFeXHCug