How Mob Programming is Reshaping the Workplace

All the brilliant minds working together,
on the same thing,
at the same time,
at the same computer.

That’s mob programming

Pioneered seven years ago at Hunter Industries in California, mob programming is gaining adopters across the world, and for good reason. Mob programming boosts productivity, knowledge sharing, and team cohesion. It’s a technique that’s reshaping workplaces, with key implications for the design industry.

How mob programming works

Mob programming involves three or more people working on the same code, on the same computer. To make this process work effectively, the team functions with one person operating the keyboard and mouse, and another calling out the next maneuver, while other team members actively observe and give input. Then, at a regularly timed intervals (3 to 15 minutes, depending on the team), team members switch positions.

Mob programming roles
The driver at the keyboard is implementing the idea suggested by the navigator, pointing at the left. Other team members are actively engaged, giving input along the way. Team members switch positions every 3-15 minutes.

MOb programming Benefits

Having multiple team members engaged on the same piece of work through mob programming has significant productivity benefits.By eliminating wait times, it enables teams to commit new software updates daily. Furthermore, it encourages knowledge sharing, eliminates wait time for decisions, and significantly improves quality of the resulting code by reducing typos and increasing adherence to standards. It’s a great way to get new hires up to speed, too.

Mob programming also has great interpersonal benefits. “What our teams have really come to enjoy is that social stimulus of constantly learning from their peers,” said Torrey Powell, senior director of engineering at Clearlink. He’s seen team members build respect for each other and become a cohesive unit, having lunch together and hanging out after work. This friendly and supportive environment motivates employees to stay at the company.

Impact on the Workplace

Mob programming is having a considerable reshaping effect on IT work environments, but finding the right setup can take a few (or many) tries. “When my team started to mob, we got in one small room with a TV that was a little too high up,” said Alan Inacio, senior software engineer at Pluralsight, a tech learning platform with a Boston office. “We were uncomfortable and enclosed the entire time, which contributed to burnout for us.” But they didn’t give up – eager to capture the benefits of mob programming, Pluralsight teams in Boston found success by creating dedicated team workstations in open settings. And they’re not the only ones.

“Watching our productivity and quality go up, I thought to myself, ‘We know we want to make mobbing easier’”, said Chris Lucian, director of software development and member of the first mob programming team at Hunter Industries. “The space is key to that.” Starting with a cleared-out floorplate, Lucian purchased whiteboards, tables, and monitors to furnish Hunter’s IT space. All furniture in the space is on wheels, creating a modular setting where teams can iterate layouts to find the best arrangement for them.

IT workspace at Hunter Industries - optimized for mob programming
Hunter’s IT space houses nine mobs. Televisions, tables, chairs, and whiteboards in the team’s workspace are all on wheels, allowing teams to self-organize and iterate to find the ideal setup.
Image courtesy of Chris Lucian.

Other companies are also beginning to apply this iterative do-it-yourself approach. “My CEO and I bought tables and moved things around,” said Matt Ferguson, CTO at Zeeto, an online advertising platform that has completely redesigned their IT wing in Utah. “We iterated on a monthly basis until we had something that worked.” Zeeto’s space now houses 10 three-person mobs in two rows that face each other.

IT Workspace at Zeeto - optimized for mob programming
After several iterations, Zeeto has settled on the layout above, which optimizes acoustics, privacy, and visibility. Two rows of adjacent 3-person mobs are separated by a hallway. Personal space is limited to one pedestal cabinet per team member.

Spaces dedicated for mob programming deliver several advantages, including reduction of the total footprint of a team. Since team members will be mobbing for the majority of the day, fewer individual desks are needed, and the cost is lower (according to Lucian, a mob station costs half as much as individual stations for each team member). Additionally, and very importantly for organizations that want to introduce mobbing to their workplaces, these stations encourage teams to mob. “It’s organized in a way that mobbing is the obvious thing to do”, said Lucian.

Conclusion

Due to its clear benefits in the workplace, the use of mob programming is spreading to software development teams across the world. As teams adopt the practice, they radically re-arrange their workspaces in order to be able to effectively work side-by-side during most hours of the day. As mob programming catches on, increasing numbers of organizations may make these kings of adaptations, causing continued change in how we design our workspaces and organizations.

Coworking Space Review - Workbar Central Square

Takeaways from a workplace specialist’s experience

The first time I walked in, I knew this place would work for me. Now eight months in, I can confirm that my feeling about Workbar in Central Square was right. Since I joined in June 2018, I’ve made significant progress building my business, and have made great personal connections. Sadly, it’s time for me to take a hiatus, but not before sharing what I liked about this Workbar location and what can be improved.

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What I liked

• Office-like aesthetic & feel

• Activity-based neighborhoods

• Behavioral guidelines & great adherence

• Balanced utilization

• External monitors & standing desks

• Ample daylight & outdoor space

• Community of friendly members with similar personalities/character

• Density of local eateries, drug stores, & art/office supply shops

• Great location for accessing Greater Boston

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What can be improved

• Lack of visual privacy for focus work

• Occasional disruptive behavior by members & guests

• Few profession-specific groups/events

• Lack of personal storage

• Dropping air quality on busy days

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Space

One of the main reasons I have enjoyed my time at Workbar has been the space itself. Natural daylight streams in from all sides, supporting my circadian rhythm. The carpeting, furniture, and decor is colorful enough to give energy, yet sober enough to say “this is a place for work”. The one noticeable downside has been that the air quality significantly drops on busy days. Thankfully, the balconies offer a welcome breath of fresh air.

The Commons, my go-to neighborhood within Workbar’s coworking space in Cambridge. I opt for this zone because the buzz of light conversation stimulates my creativity, and because there are plenty of standing desks.

The workstations themselves are satisfactory, especially for divergent work. I have favored working from the high tables that afford standing and sitting. One issue, however, is that the tabletops do not give much visual isolation. I have found this to be a challenge when completing high focus work. When writing, for example, I have been easily distracted by people passing by. This is not always an issue, however. When working on graphics, the openness has been great.

My workstation today. The monitor helps not only for productivity and ergonomics, but also to shield from visual distractions, e.g. the person working directly behind it.

Workbar does a great job of supplying tools and amenities. I have used a secondary monitor every day to support my productivity. The space now even supplies external keyboards. On the amenities side, I’ve been happy with the selection of quality teas and the sparkling water tap. The morning fruits and afternoon snacks have been welcome too. Not all is ideal, however.

One of my bigger struggles with the Central Square space has been the lack of personal storage. While Workbar does offer some lockers for a monthly fee, there is no secure place large enough to leave a 15” laptop overnight. This means I have carried my electronics, chargers, snacks, and documents with me every day. I’ve managed to fit this into two bags, which have been cumbersome to carry, especially when I’ve taken the hour-long bus commute. This also made for a heavy load for the few times I have cycled. Workbar could alleviate this situation and turn it into a revenue opportunity by offering larger lockers, as they already do at their location in Back Bay.

The bags I carry back and forth from Workbar. What’s inside? Laptop, charger, notebook, snacks, clipboard, drawing tablet, comfortable pair of shoes. Not so convenient for my public transit commute, let alone cycling.

An aspect that is not always obvious, but that my coworking space has managed well is the space utilization. From my observation, the flexible seating areas are never more than 65% occupied (generally 4 people to a 6-person bench). Practically, this means that I have almost always been able to find a place to work in my preferred zone, no matter when I arrive. This relieves the stress I have felt in a previous workplace, where there was a high chance all desks were taken if I arrived after 9:15 am. The other benefit of this utilization rate is that it gives us room to think. The workbenches would simply feel too cramped with three people elbow-to-elbow, facing another three.

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Behaviors

A key component of Workbar’s success has been its neighborhoods concept. Workbar has created four activity-based zones in its space: the Study, the Commons, the Switchboard, and the Café. In the Study, no conversations are allowed, and white noise plays overhead to dampen acoustics. This has been a great place for me to seek refuge for high-focus work. In the Commons, conversations are welcome, but phone calls are not allowed. This zone has been my go-to, because it has ample standing desks, and its buzz stimulates my creativity. In the Switchboard, conversations and phone calls are allowed. This is also the only space with desks that have visual dividers. I’ve ventured into this space primarily to take phone calls. In the Café, soft music plays and Workbar’s community managers often host events. This has been a great place to take a break and meet other members.

Workbar’s guidelines for the quietest neighborhood, the Study. Workbar has four working zones, with escalating levels of stimulation. The selection provides choice to support personal preferences and different working modes.

The main reason for the success of the different zones has been compliance to the guidelines. In the Study, I have heard a conversation only once or twice, at which point a coworker was quick to ask the offending person to quiet down. In the Commons, my neighbors have generally been great about keeping conversations quiet, short, and relevant to their work. This compliance has greatly supported our productivity. I can’t say that everyone has been as sensitive to their neighbors, however.

My ability to get work done has been challenged particularly by the behavior of one organization. Unaccustomed to the culture of our coworking space, upon first moving in, the organization held meetings and conversations at lively volume in areas that had previously been quiet. In addition, their employees tend to speak unabashedly at volume about non-work topics. To their credit, they have learned to adapt. Nevertheless, their operations-intensive focus still creates significantly more verbal interactions than the number that occurs between people who work independently. This imbalance in behaviors has contributed to my decision to take a hiatus from the space. Workbar’s member retention will depend on its ability to match and regulate member behavior.

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Community & Events

Besides the space, Workbar’s other great value has been the community of members. From the beginning, I felt that these are my people. Overwhelmingly, they are kind and interested to get to know their co-workers. They also know not to bother each other when they are heads-down. This community is one of the main reasons I have come to work here, to be in a social environment with people who root for each other.

Another aspect of the community that I have greatly enjoyed is our mutual trust. Two main factors contribute to this. First is the familiarity we have with each other, second is the protection from the outside (our upper workspace is card-access only). Thanks to this trust, many of us leave our belongings unattended when stepping away from our desk. I have yet to hear of someone’s smartphone or laptops being taken. When taken in perspective, this mutual trust is one of the main aspects that differentiates our coworking space from a coffee shop.

An area that can stand to be improved, however, is the rather small degree to which we support each other professionally. One of the challenges is that our fields of practice are so varied. We are software developers, marketers, writers, lawyers, and sustainability entrepreneurs. With little perceptible overlap, the opportunities to help each other with professional matters have not been obvious. This can even stunt conversations. In one of my workshops, I vividly remember one lawyer expressing frustration that no co-worker would engage him in political discussion.

The incongruence in professions also has an influence on the type of the events that are offered at Workbar. The community events have been overwhelmingly social: bagel breakfasts, thanksgiving lunch, happy hours. These have been great occasions to connect with coworkers, but they have offered little professional value. There have been some events, however, that have offered more professional value. These have been primarily hosted by members, and have been less frequent. One example includes a session on optimizing your LinkedIn profile for generating leads. As Workbar continues on, I recommend that it offer more professional-oriented events.

Thanksgiving lunch at Workbar, a great event to get to know fellow members on a more personal level. Workbar offers several such social events, and can stand to improve by offering more events with professional appeal.

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Personal closure

Altogether, I have been very satisfied with my experience at Workbar in Central Square. During my time here, I have been able to build my online presence and my content writing business. I’ve also made great connections. So you might be wondering why I’m taking a hiatus. I’m in an effort to shorten my hour-long commute and tighten my budget, so I’m primarily working from home. I have to admit, though, that I’m not as productive as at Workbar, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m back again soon. Maybe I’ll see you there!

*Disclosure: I have not been compensated by Workbar for this review

Five best practices for coworking spaces

40, that’s the number of coworking spaces in Greater Boston today.

And the number is only growing. With so much competition in the space, how can a coworking space set itself apart to attract and retain members? Based on my experience at my own coworking space, I have identified five best practices to follow.

Best practices

· Ensure a desirable physical environment

· Create activity-based zones & matching behavioral guidelines

· Foster social cohesion & trust

· Cater to specific professions

· Ensure behavioral & cultural fit

In terms of space, it is important to allow plenty of natural light, to offer standing and sitting options, and to create spaces for people to socialize. For more depth on such physical elements, including personal storage, I recommend Usher’s The Elemental Workplace. Another key to success is to create activity-based-zones, each optimized for different types of work (e.g. focus, collaboration). Hand-in-hand with creating such zones is to create matching behavioral guidelines, and to actively ensure compliance. Such explicit guidelines help establish behavioral predictability, making it easier for members to choose a space that will maximize their productivity.

In terms of community, coworking spaces can drive retention by fostering social cohesion and trust. These desirable characteristics arise when coworkers get to know each other well. Hence, the key is to create moments to socialize. One way is to host social events, such as lunches and happy hours. The other is to create spaces away from workstations where people will spontaneously gather, e.g. kitchens and coffee machines. The effectiveness of such spaces grows as incentives to visit them arise. Hence, putting out snacks at specific times, or offering complimentary coffee goes a long way to foster social cohesion. Similarly, the effectiveness of social moments in creating trust can be increased by facilitating icebreaker activities.

Another key opportunity that coworking spaces should consider is to actively target specific user groups. Among several benefits, hosting a critical mass of a certain type of professional increases the viability of offering targeted services for a fee. We can imagine, for example, offering a workshop for copywriters on pitching content to prospective clients. Such content can be arranged by community managers, and delivered by external service providers, who are sure to be attracted by a group of target clients assembled together. The potential to make revenue is there. In my own efforts to launch a mastermind group at my coworking space, the majority of my participants were willing to pay a fee.

Another benefit of a coworking space tailored to certain professionals is member retention. Retention in this case is driven by multiple factors, one of which is a match in behavioral & cultural profiles. Hosting groups with similar working styles minimizes the potential for behavioral conflicts, in turn driving productivity. Another factor driving retention is the value of the community itself. As members of related professions get to know each other, they are highly likely to support each other. In my case, I have asked my fellow writers for advice on pricing a proposal, and have received help from visual designers on converting graphic files. Belonging to such a supportive group is a great incentive for members to stay at a coworking space.

Now, for many spaces it may not be financially viable to focus only on a specific type of professional. There may simply not be enough of such people to fill a space. Nevertheless, coworking spaces should actively build sub-communities of related professionals within their larger coworking ecosystem. Better not to leave this completely up to members. Not all people are naturally outgoing, neither will all immediately see the value of connecting. The true value of communities of professionals can be realized only when actively maintained, ideally by the community management team.

The best practices above have been identified through my experience coworking at Workbar, primarily from the Central Square location. In the eight months I have spent here, WorkBar has greatly contributed to my ability to get things done. Read more about my specific experience on Medium.

*This article was originally published on LinkedIn