The Mob Mentality Show

When TDD Meets R&D: How to Keep Small Steps & Fast Feedback Loops in High Uncertainty

How do you balance small, iterative progress with the vast unknowns of research and development (R&D)? Can test-driven development (TDD) literally or "in spirit" still provide value when you're navigating uncharted territory? In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we dive deep into the intersection of R&D Mobbing and software development, exploring real-world scenarios, strategies, and challenges teams face when innovating under uncertainty.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
🔬 Chris's Journey with Mob Randori & R&D: From "we don’t know what we’re doing" to "we know what we’re doing"—how mob programming helped transform uncertainty into effective delivery.
🛠️ R&D vs. CD? Can teams practice continuous delivery (CD) even when tackling complex, unknown problem spaces? If so, is there a change in what is "delivered"? 
📌 Keeping Small Steps & Feedback Loops in R&D: TDD is known for its rapid feedback and endorphin kicks—but how do you retain those benefits when exploring an unfamiliar landscape?
🔄 Adjusting Your Mobbing for the Task at Hand: When should you modify your mob programming approach to fit the nature of research-driven work versus production-level development?
🧗‍♂️ Clean Code Spelunking & Navigating the Unknown: Techniques for digging deep into existing codebases while ensuring safety and maintaining forward momentum.
🚩 Feature Flags & Safety in R&D: How to experiment with new ideas and do Trunk Based Development (TBD) without introducing instability to production.
📊 Transparency, Visualization & Business Buy-in: Addressing stakeholder fear of an "infinite problem space."
🧠 The Inverse of ZOMBIES in R&D Mode: How do you maintain focus, momentum, and value delivery when dealing with high levels of uncertainty?
⚡ Real-Life R&D Success Stories & Lessons Learned: Practical examples of mob programming driving R&D innovation in high-unknown environments.
If you’ve ever wondered how to keep experimentation structured, learning fast, and delivery continuous—even when dealing with complex unknowns—this episode is for you!📌 Watch More Episodes & Subscribe on Your Favorite Platform: https://www.mobmentalityshow.com/🔔 Don’t miss future episodes—hit the subscribe button!Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/nipbhFopqMM 

The DDD Dream? A Domain Expert Full-Time in a Mob 🚀

Is the ultimate Domain-Driven Design (DDD) dream having a domain expert fully embedded in a Mob? Or does it come with hidden trade-offs? In this thought-provoking episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we explore the benefits, challenges, and real-world experiences of having a domain expert (or product owner) participate full-time in a Mob—not just as a consultant but as an active driver and navigator.
🔹 What We Discuss in This Episode:✅ Quick Access vs. Full-Time Participation – Is it better to have a domain expert available when needed or fully immersed in the Mob?✅ Real-World Stories – Chris shares insights from four product owners with different availability levels and how that impacted effectiveness. Austin reveals what happened when a domain expert became a full-time Mobber.✅ The Pros of a Full-Time Domain Expert in a Mob – Faster decisions, deeper collaboration, improved knowledge transfer, and more!✅ Natural Synergy with DDD – How DDD experts seamlessly jump into code naming, improving model alignment.✅ Testers & Domain Experts: A Similar Integration? – The parallels between merging testers into a Mob and embedding domain experts.✅ Potential Downsides – Does being in the Mob full-time reduce a domain expert’s ability to stay ahead in their field?✅ Autonomy & Learning Diversity – How does this setup impact team growth and decision-making?✅ Is This the DDD Dream? – With fewer moving parts (like event storming), does a domain expert in the Mob make DDD even more effective?✅ The Power of Different Perspectives – Why having a built-in devil’s advocate can enhance team decision-making.✅ The Truth About Cryptic Code – Can a domain expert help clarify unclear code in real time?
🎧 Don’t Miss This Insightful Discussion!Hit Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss future episodes! Find us on your favorite platform here 👉 https://www.mobmentalityshow.com/
What do you think? Would you want a domain expert full-time in your Mob? Drop a comment below! ⬇️Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/7__ghFw_Z3g 

LLMs, DSLs, and the Art of Generating Generators for Leaner Systems

Can a combo of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) streamline development by automating repetitive patterns across teams? In this Mob Mentality Show episode, we dive deep into the intersection of AI-driven automation, code generation, and lean software development.
Join us as we explore:✅ The "Generator for the Generator" Concept – How AI-powered tools and Mob Programming can create DSLs that automate code generation at scale.✅ Handling Cross-Domain Development with DSLs – How DSL arguments can be leveraged to generate applications across multiple domains while maintaining usability.✅ Serverless Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & Auto-Generated Apps – How to use DSLs to automate cloud deployment with Angular or Streamlit apps.✅ The Challenge of UI/UX in Generated Code – When UI is too generic, does it hurt usability? Can a DSL strike the right balance between automation and user experience?✅ Regeneration vs. Continuous Development – Should teams work exclusively in the DSL, or also refine the code it generates? How to handle sync issues when regenerating applications.✅ Turning Docs into Code with a DSL Converter – Automating workflows by transforming team documentation into executable code.✅ Mob Automationist Role Inception – Is the next evolution of Mob Programming automating the automation?✅ ZOMBIE Test Generation & Nested Python Dictionaries – How automated testing fits into the DSL-driven workflow and whether a DSL can be as simple as a structured Python dictionary.
🎯 Whether you’re a software engineer, an agile practitioner, or just fascinated by AI-driven development, this episode is packed with real-world insights into DSLs, LLMs, and the future of lean automation.
🔔 Don't miss out! Subscribe to the Mob Mentality Show on your favorite platform:👉 https://www.mobmentalityshow.com/Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/0q3jaX6_bfw 

Human & AI Collaboration in Mob Programming with Aaron Griffith and Parker Barrett

Explore the exciting intersection of human collaboration and artificial intelligence (AI) in software development with this insightful episode of the Mob Mentality Show. Recorded for the 2024 UACon Winter: The Future of Product Development Summit on December 10, 2024, Aaron Griffith and Parker Barrett joins Austin to dive deep into how Mob Programming and AI are reshaping the way we build and test software.
This episode is packed with practical insights, real-world examples, and actionable strategies for leveraging AI with a mob programming style. Whether you’re an AI enthusiast, a software developer, or just curious about the future of collaboration, this session has something for you.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:🔹 What is Mob Programming?🔹 The Origin Story of Mobbing with AI – Discover how our human teams began mobbing with AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot to enhance software development processes.🔹 AI-Driven Test Development in a Mob – See how AI can streamline test-driven development (TDD) workflows, making testing faster and more effective.🔹 Testing with AI to Find ZOMBIES Test Cases (Zero, One, Many, Boundaries, Interface, Exceptional, Simplicity) – Learn how AI tools help identify missing test scenarios and code improvements. 🔹 AI Limitations and Warnings – Understand the ethical, technical, and operational challenges when incorporating AI into your workflows.🔹 AI Mobbing Demo Highlights:
AI-generated Flutter app complete with unit tests.
AI-driven identification of ZOMBIES.
Automated Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines powered by AI.
Why This Episode Matters:As AI tools continue to evolve, understanding how they integrate with collaborative programming methods like Mob Programming and Extreme Programming (XP) is critical for staying innovative in the fast-paced world of software development. In this session, we not only discuss the benefits of AI but also provide a realistic view of its limitations and how to navigate them.
Perfect For:
Developers and teams exploring AI-powered tools.
Agile practitioners and extreme programming enthusiasts.
Anyone curious about the future of software development collaboration.
Let’s shape the future of collaboration and development together!
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/BsFPbYX4WXQ  

Multi-Mobbing with Extreme Ownership: Should Ensemble Decisions Wait for Outside Approval?

In this thought-provoking episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we dive into the world of extreme ownership within a multi-mobbing environment. What happens when a mob/team wants to make a decision, like extracting a method, refactoring to a new pattern, or reorganizing code boundaries? Should that decision wait for approval from outside teams? Or does extreme ownership mean trusting the mob to act autonomously for maximum flow efficiency?
Topics Discussed:
Autonomy vs. Consensus: Should mobs prioritize quick decision-making or seek input from external teams?
Multi-Mob Context: Exploring the dynamics of multiple mobs interacting and how to handle shared ownership of repositories and projects.
Inverse Conway Maneuver: Can designing your organization’s team structures to match the architecture you want your systems to have prevent this problem?
Lean Thinking and Efficiency: How waiting for approvals from external owners can create lean wastes.
Boundary Flexibility: Should code and team boundaries be rigid or adaptable to changing circumstances?
The Monolith vs. Microservices Debate: Is the real issue a technical architecture debate or is the root problem found elsewhere?
Scenarios and Examples:
A hypothetical comparison of shared ownership in MS Word vs. MS Excel.
The impact of Joe Justice’s Law on decision-making and team interactions.
The challenge of managing too many communication nodes in multi-team environments.
Key Questions Discussed:
Is it more valuable to reduce the number of teams interacting with a repo?
Should boundaries of ownership evolve with time?
How can we balance flow efficiency with healthy collaboration across teams?
How does "Nothing in Tech Matters Except XP" impact this discussion?
Subscribe and Stay Connected:
Don’t miss this insightful episode as we unravel these questions and more! Discover how the principles of extreme ownership and mob programming can transform team dynamics and decision-making processes in software development.
📢 Subscribe to the Mob Mentality Show on your favorite platform: https://www.mobmentalityshow.com.
🔔 Like, comment, and share to join the discussion and stay updated on upcoming episodes!
Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/rAT-EurLnrI 

The Poisonous Price of an Unsustainable Pace: Lessons from Software and Sports

In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we dive into Sustainable Pace, a core principle of the Agile Manifesto ("Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely"). From software development to youth sports, we explore the massively destructive effects of an unsustainable pace and highlight the transformative benefits of a culture grounded in sustainable practices.
🔥 Key Topics Covered
1. The Massively Destructive Results of Unsustainable Pace
How the relentless work rate leads to burnout, dropouts, injuries, and errors.
Insights from academic and medical studies showing the devastating effects of unsustainable workloads.
Real-world connections to coding bug rates, over-specialization, and emotional exhaustion.
Tim Urban's TED Talk ("Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator") and its ties to the procrastination monkey, panic monster, and unsustainable pace.
Why misalignment between expectations and reality (e.g., unrealistic deadlines) breeds toxicity.
Radical Candor's "obnoxious aggression" and it can join forces with unsustainable pace to form a diabolical duo. 
2. The Positive Results of a Sustainable Pace
Building high-quality, continuous delivery without chaos or burnout.
The connection between psychological safety, inclusivity, and long-term success in both teams and individuals.
Benefits of diverse experiences, low stress, and personal peace from a sustainable pace.
Practical strategies to avoid contributing to toxic work or play environments.
Stories from youth sports coaching and tech leadership that illustrate how sustainable pace leads to lasting excellence.
3. Actionable Insights for a Better Future
How to shift from a culture of "run fast, burn out" to one of balance, productivity, and joy.
The systemic changes needed to foster sustainable pace in tech teams and youth sports organizations.
Why adopting sustainable practices isn't just about survival—it's about thriving.
🎙️ Why Listen?
Whether you're a tech leader, Agile practitioner, parent, or coach, this episode is packed with actionable advice and thought-provoking discussions. Learn how sustainable pace can unlock continuous learning, higher quality results, and a more fulfilling life.
✅ Subscribe to Stay Updated
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📢 Join the Conversation
What’s your experience with unsustainable pace? How have you built or experienced sustainable practices in your work, team, or community? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and let’s talk!Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/bTvjoGosBnw   

The Power of Diversity: How ‘Mob Anything’ Revolutionizes Product Discovery with Martin Christensen

In this exciting episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we sit down with Martin Christensen, a product transformation coach, to explore the pivotal power of mobbing in product discovery.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
Mobbing Product Discovery
What is Product Discovery? Understand the fundamentals user value, business value, and technical feasibility.
Mob Style vs. Solo User Interviews: Learn how mobbing on user interviews enhances insights through diverse perspectives and how it contrasts with traditional solo interviews.
The Benefits of Diversity: Discover why the mantra “Mob Anything” unlocks innovation, faster UI/UX iterations, and fewer lines of code while maintaining focus on user experience.
Collaboration, Psychological Growth, and Transformation
Barriers to New Methods: Dive into the psychological and organizational obstacles that can hinder teams from adopting mobbing or trying new approaches.
Adult Development and Teaming: Martin shares insights on how stages of psychological development and life events can break down egocentrism and foster stronger collaboration.
The "No Pain, No Gain" Paradox: Can growth happen without trauma? Discover the nuanced relationship between challenges, growth, and maturity in collaborative environments.
Impact of Complexity on Happiness: Unpack how the complexity of problems and overall team happiness affect the ability to work effectively as a mob.
Why Watch This Episode?
If you’re passionate about product development, user experience, or team collaboration, this episode is packed with actionable insights and relatable stories. From understanding the power of mobbing in product discovery to overcoming barriers to psychological maturity in teams, this conversation will leave you inspired to experiment and grow.
🎙️ Don’t miss out!Subscribe to the Mob Mentality Show today to catch this episode and explore other topics at the intersection of innovation, collaboration, and personal growth.
👉 Watch here or on your favorite platform: https://www.mobmentalityshow.com/Video and show notes: https://youtu.be/IPYXElnuBns  
 

Want to Know Who Else Mobs? Check Out the Companies That Mob Board!

Have you ever wondered who else is adopting mob programming? Or perhaps you’re curious about the diversity of organizations that practice ensemble programming? In this Mob Mentality Show episode, we take a deep dive into the Companies That Mob/Ensemble Program Board, a powerful tool for tracking and sharing insights about organizations, coaches, and educators engaging in mobbing practices worldwide.
Join us as we explore the story behind this invaluable resource and its broader implications for the mob programming community.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why Track Mobbing? Discover why Chris Lucian started documenting companies and organizations that practice mob programming, beginning with a simple blog post.
From Blog to Trello: Learn how this tracking effort evolved from a personal blog to a comprehensive Trello Board, making it easier to manage and share.
Uses of the Board: Explore the board’s practical applications, including showcasing the diversity of mobbing practices across countries, industries, and contexts like IoT (Internet of Things), eCommerce, hardware, firmware, software, government, and private sectors.
Related Resources: Uncover the connections between this board and other similar initiatives, such as the Software Professional Resources Board and the "We Do TDD (Test-Driven Development)" website.
Anecdotal ROI: Hear how this board can serve as anecdotal evidence of the return on investment (ROI) for mob programming from a "just sharing" perspective ( https://justsharing.dev/ ), helping promote its adoption in the software development community.
New Categories: Find out about Austin’s updates, which include categories for coaches and professors who practice mobbing.
Call to Action: Get inspired to contribute by adding new companies, organizations, or individuals to the board to help grow the global mobbing network.
Why This Matters:
The Companies That Mob/Ensemble Program Board isn’t just a list—it’s a living resource that reflects the growing diversity and diffusion of mobbing practices worldwide. It’s a tool for saving time, building community, and promoting the Just Sharing mindset. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or a newcomer to mobbing, this board helps you connect with others and find inspiration for your own mob programming journey.
Get Involved:Want to see the board in action? Check it out here: Companies That Mob/Ensemble Program Board.
Subscribe for More Episodes:Don’t miss out on future episodes of the Mob Mentality Show! Subscribe on your favorite platform today: Mob Mentality Show Website.Tune in and discover who else is mobbing—and why it’s transforming the way we work and learn!Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/yCB4n-0nxQk 

Why is XP Not Taught in Many Schools?

Have you ever wondered why Extreme Programming (XP) isn’t commonly taught in schools? In this engaging episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we dive into this intriguing question brought to us by the mob programming community.
🎓 What We Cover:1️⃣ A Junior Developer's Dilemma: If schools don’t teach XP, does it mean it’s not critical for your career?2️⃣ Academia’s Pushback: What are professors saying about XP and unit testing? Is XP seen as incompatible with academic goals?3️⃣ Systems Thinking in Action: Unpacking how a systems-thinking approach (holistic problem-solving) provides clarity on this issue.4️⃣ The Runner Analogy: How comparing sprinters and cross-country runners sheds light on coding strategies.5️⃣ Universities vs. Industry Needs: Are schools preparing students for industry or academic research? What should their goals be?6️⃣ Degree Confusion: Why students struggle to navigate differences between computer science and software engineering programs.7️⃣ Niche or Necessity? Why XP, a small sector of the software industry, may not get the spotlight it deserves in schools.8️⃣ Unit Testing's Lone Survival: Is unit testing finding its way into classrooms, but XP is not?9️⃣ The “Unknown Unknowns” Problem: What happens when students don’t even realize the value XP could bring to their careers.🔟 Solutions That Work: Experiments and strategies we’ve used to promote XP in university curricula.
💡 Why This Episode Matters:
Maintainability in Code: Discover why maintainability is crucial—not just in industry, but even for academic projects.
Handling Resistance: Learn how educators can introduce XP despite opposition from traditional academic mindsets.
Spotlighting Success: Shout-outs to universities doing XP right and what others can learn from them.
Academia-Industry Collaboration: Insights from years spent on professional committees advocating for XP.
📌 Who Should Watch This Episode?
Students: Discover why your curriculum may overlook XP and how to build the skills yourself.
Educators: Get inspired to bring XP into your classrooms and navigate institutional challenges.
Industry Professionals: Understand the gap between academia and industry, and what it means for hiring new grads.
Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities of integrating XP into education. With actionable insights, engaging analogies, and practical advice, this episode is packed with ideas to spark change.Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/CidbB_SBGl0  

Complex Adaptive Organizations, Org Topologies, and FAST Agile with Ariel Pérez

In this thought-provoking episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we are joined by Ariel Pérez to explore the fascinating intersection of Complex Adaptive Organizations, Organizational Topologies, and the FAST Agile Framework. Together, we dive into the challenges and opportunities of modern software development and organizational dynamics, offering actionable insights for leaders, teams, and anyone navigating complexity in their work.
Highlights from the Episode...
Complex Adaptive Organizations and FAST Agile:
Manufacturing vs. Software Development: Why building the same product repeatedly differs from creating custom software .
Complexity Theory in Software Development: How unpredictable side effects shape outcomes and the pursuit of predictability in organizations.
Fixed Scope and Fixed Date: Are they real business needs, or just external motivators? What are their long-term impacts on quality and delivery?
Theory X vs. Theory Y (management theories): How a leaders' management principles and practices influence autonomy, trust, and collaboration.
Dynamic Teams in FAST Agile: The pros and cons of adapting teams dynamically to match work needs versus forcing work into rigid team structures.
Story of Transitioning to FAST: A tale of initial resistance to the FAST Agile approach and the eventual embrace of its benefits.
Building a Culture of Experimentation and Learning:
Experimentation as a Foundation for Innovation: How to test hypotheses in product development and team practices without compromising quality.
From Fear to Trust: Encouraging experimentation in new teams or under new leadership while creating safety for bold ideas.
Practical Experiments: Implementing small feature flags, A/B testing (comparing two versions in production), and time-limited trial runs to foster innovation.
Respect and Radical Candor: Building trust through open communication, mutual respect, and the occasional dose of healthy banter 😅.
Risks and Controls: A Never-Ending Game of Whack-a-Mole:
Balancing Risk and Control: How risk-heavy environments lead to more controls (e.g., CAB—Change Advisory Board, PR—Pull Request) and the ripple effects of other risks these controls create.
Holistic Thinking: Why addressing one risk often introduces others and how to manage risk without stifling agility.
Mob Programming as a Solution: Handling emergency changes safely and collaboratively without falling into the trap of excessive gatekeeping.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace complexity and adapt dynamically to navigate unpredictable challenges.
Optimize for learning through experimentation and apply these insights to real-world problems.
Avoid control-heavy environments that stifle innovation and agility by thinking holistically about risks.
Join us as we unpack these ideas and share strategies to foster a responsive, trust-based culture in your teams and organizations.
🎧 Don’t miss this episode! Subscribe to the Mob Mentality Show on your favorite platform: https://www.mobmentalityshow.com/FYI: Video and more show notes: https://youtu.be/ghzOSV4waIo