Re: Any advice on remote pairing?

Hello again, 

And thanks for the feedback. I mean, I don't feel like I'm crazy anymore.
You're right, developers have to want to pair to make a team work. But then, there's a certain personality that makes it work more than others. According to a study to read on remote online workers, the people who are extrovert and outspoken/outgoing, as well as those who have more in common with each other (e.g. they like the same rock band or came from the same school), tend to do better. It's the social that binds them at the start.
That said, what makes it hard for newcomers to a new idea is that they never did this before. A natural bias sets in, "Not invented here" or "We've always done it this way" Anyway, I am writing mostly to tell you that 'yes', I see the biggest part of starting is the difficulty in transitioning people to a new idea without all the tools and training to help them get there. But that said, it's their willingness to try and make mistakes that makes all the difference.
As product manager/project managers/leaders in implementing new processes, it rests upon us to persist and over time to help teams and individuals grow. I wish this was something that was taught in schools when programmer and designers study their crafts (aka: how to work effectively with others).
Time will tell. Maybe the first time you drive won't be as good as the second of third, but you get there. Right?
Milton the Great  
 

    On Sunday, October 9, 2016 3:30 PM, "[email protected] [extremeprogramming]" <[email protected]> wrote:
 

     Jonathan, 

Thanks for the link to the blog. Yes, I will be the PM. 

I will be asking the Navigator to work with me in setting things up while the Driver runs through build a website for me. We have a few more projects to come down the pipeline and they know they need me -- and that I need them to work as a team.

The hardest part will be getting them to work together. Remote will have problems. I'll have to compromise a  bit on XP. I'll make at least two video chats each week with the team and get daily stand up emails. But what I want them to do, who live in the same country, is to do their own daily Skype standups. If I can get them to know each other and to refactor and test together, I'll have a functioning team.

Of course, I'll need to do more as we work together (e.g. send birthday gifts). The hard part is getting over the hill.I am their example and mentor (coach). I read a book called 'Building Successful Online Communities', which I am using as a guide. I didn't hire them as much for their technical skills but how well they fit together when it comes to social personalty. 

This is an experiment, so I'll see how well we do. A couple more projects in, and then I'll know. Wish me luck.

Milton Wani  #yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519 -- #yiv4826437519ygrp-mkp {border:1px solid #d8d8d8;font-family:Arial;margin:10px 0;padding:0 10px;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-mkp hr {border:1px solid #d8d8d8;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-mkp #yiv4826437519hd {color:#628c2a;font-size:85%;font-weight:700;line-height:122%;margin:10px 0;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-mkp #yiv4826437519ads {margin-bottom:10px;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-mkp .yiv4826437519ad {padding:0 0;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-mkp .yiv4826437519ad p {margin:0;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-mkp .yiv4826437519ad a {color:#0000ff;text-decoration:none;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-sponsor #yiv4826437519ygrp-lc {font-family:Arial;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-sponsor #yiv4826437519ygrp-lc #yiv4826437519hd {margin:10px 0px;font-weight:700;font-size:78%;line-height:122%;}#yiv4826437519 #yiv4826437519ygrp-sponsor #yiv4826437519ygrp-lc .yiv4826437519ad {margin-bottom:10px;padding:0 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