aka “Mob Programming”

Mobbing Resources

The Driver-Navigator Technique for Large Mobs

(Note for Clare - this is linked to from elsewhere so don’t change this title!)

  • Once you get beyond five or six people, mobs can become ineffective:
    • Only the really confident people will take part
    • Everyone else will observe silently
    • Most people will probably disengage and lose track of what’s going on
  • One solution is to split into smaller mobs in separate rooms
  • Another is to split into sub-groups that stay in the same room
    • You rotate between the sub-groups
    • Rotate frequently (eg every 10 mins)
    • This way there are a smaller number of voices at any one time
    • Allow full-group discussion for 1-2 mins between each mini-mob
    • Everyone in each sub-group is more motivated to participate when it’s their turn
    • Be explicit about the rules of the mob (No 1: BE KIND TO EACH OTHER - see Woody Zuill for more guidance if you haven’t mobbed before)
    • One member of each sub-group stays on to be the driver for the next group
    • When it’s not your turn, you still pay attention because you know it will be your turn soon
    • Use this handy mob timer
    • Nominate someone in each mini-mob to be chat monitor. The observers are allowed to post suggestions in the chat. The chat monitor brings suggestions to the attention of the mini-mob and the mini-mob can decide whether to pay attention or ignore.
  • An example:
    • We have thirteen people in our mob, split into three groups:
      • Group 1:
        • Anne
        • Bob
        • Clare
        • Dana
        • Ed
      • Group 2:
        • Fred
        • Gill
        • Harry
        • Indigo
      • Group 3:
        • Joan
        • Kate
        • Louis
        • Max
    • For the first ten mins,
      • Driver = Max (the last person on the “previous” group)
      • Navigators = Group 1 = Anne, Bob, Clare, Dana, Ed
    • For the next ten mins,
      • Driver = Ed (last person from previous group)
      • Navigators = Group 2 = Fred, Gill, Harry, Indigo
    • (etc)
    • When all groups have had a turn, choose a different person from the previous group to be the driver (eg, Dana instead of Ed)