The Mob Mentality Show

Escape Room Style Mobbing is a real collaboration pattern many teams run into, even if they do not have a name for it yet. In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we break down the spectrum between two very different mobbing modes: fast, noisy, interruption-heavy “escape room” mobbing and the quieter, deliberate, research-first approach some teams rely on instead. Across the conversation, they share concrete examples from dozens of mobs they have been part of over the years. You will hear what actually happens in high-energy mobs that optimize for speed, flow, and rapid experiments. You will also hear what shifts when a team leans into slow, deep thinking, deep learning, cautious change, and single-threaded communication. The episode digs into the real tradeoffs: - When interruptions accelerate discovery and when they create friction or waste - Why some teams thrive in a “pull everyone in now” environment while others feel overwhelmed or blocked by the noise - Why the same people might switch styles depending on context, psychological safety, or the kind of problem they are solving You will also hear how teams manage learning in each mode, how business expectations can map with the mob’s behavior, how different personalities respond to high-octane collaboration, and why both styles can be healthy when used intentionally in the right context rather than by accident. If you work on Agile teams, practice Mob Programming, care about delivery flow, or you simply want to understand why your team’s collaboration energy swings from chaotic to quiet, this episode gives you language and mental models you can use right away. FYI: Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/kZ9yH5Fibn4 

In this Mob Mentality Show episode, we sit down with Abid Qureshi for a candid and eye-opening look at what Agile Software Development was meant to be versus what the industry turned it into. If you’ve ever wondered why “Agile” feels bloated today, why teams still struggle to adapt quickly, or why universities are still teaching outdated models like Waterfall, this conversation will hit home. Abid shares his perspective on why the original movement focused on lightweight methods, experimentation, and uncovering better ways of developing software. He explains how the software industry drifted toward heavyweight processes and off-the-shelf frameworks, and what gets lost when organizations treat Agile as a set of fixed best practices (independent of a code context) instead of an ever evolving software craft. He also challenges long-held assumptions about technical excellence, design, and the true sources of agility in modern software development. We dig into: - The contrast between early agile software development and what “Agile” represents today. - Why the title “Agile Manifesto” is misleading and what the document was actually about. - How advances in technology, object-oriented programming, automated testing, and continuous integration made genuine agility possible. - Why real adaptability comes from reducing the cost of change, not adding more process. - The danger of scaling up bureaucracy instead of scaling down and improving engineering practices. - How non-technical contributors sometimes unlock unconventional, high-value ideas that technical experts overlook. - Why many higher education programs still teach waterfall-style thinking and how that hurts new developers entering the industry. - The missed opportunity for universities to lead innovation in software development instead of echoing outdated industry norms. If you care about XP, Lean thinking, software craftsmanship, technical excellence, or getting back to the heart of agility, this episode offers a practical and refreshing reset. Abid’s stories and insights challenge the assumptions that hold teams back and point toward a more grounded, engineering-driven approach to modern software development. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/nJI-veSJdkQ  

What happens when you combine daily mini-retrospectives, Test-Driven Development in absurdly small steps, and Chess Clock Mobbing? You get a radically different iteration on collaboration, continuous improvement, and extreme programming—and that’s exactly what we explore in this episode of the Mob Mentality Show with guests Kevin Vicencio and Alex Bird. Kevin and Alex are on a team who didn’t just mob the canonical way—they experimented with variations and discovered something that seems faster, tighter, and even more collaborative in many ways. From refining how teams use retrospectives to guide daily improvements, to pioneering a new high-intensity form of teaming called “Chess Clock Mobbing,” their approach is relentless in its pursuit of learning and team flow. In this conversation, we dig into: - How daily retros and real-time feedback can evolve your team culture fast - Why working in smaller TDD steps can paradoxically lead to faster results - The mechanics and mindset behind Chess Clock Mobbing  - “Evil TDD Ping Pong” as a way to level up test design and shared understanding - Building a culture of trust, safety, and continuous experimentation - Techniques for maintaining momentum, engagement, and learning in remote-first dev teams - The power of absurdly small experiments and the compounding effect of micro-improvements Whether you’re an Agile coach, XP practitioner, software engineer, or just curious about pushing the boundaries of collaborative development, this episode delivers deep insights, real practices, and actionable takeaways you can try with your team tomorrow. 📌 Don’t forget to like, comment, and share if this episode sparked an idea or a conversation! Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/w3vvpJ3VKew  

In this lightning-talk-style Mob Mentality Show episode, Austin Chadwick takes you through his real-world evolution from clunky, waterfall-style processes to fully cranked-up Extreme Programming (XP)—a journey defined by failures, breakthroughs, and a relentless pursuit of clean, test-driven code. Starting in a rigid, process-heavy dev shop where a typo fix required presidential-level approvals, Austin shares how years of stagnation, big batch releases, and public demo disasters (including rogue robots) led him to ask the big question: What if we actually did Extreme Programming all the way—no compromises? This episode digs into: - Why doing half of XP might be worse than doing none - The hidden cost of tolerating just “one bug” - What daily delivery and value-first thinking really look like in practice - Experiments on how to survive (and thrive) when your dev culture thinks you’re “too extreme” - The real tradeoffs of turning XP, TDD, and refactoring up to volume level 11 - When agile and XP becomes a “cargo cult” - Lessons from being one of the lone voice for clean code in an organization stuck in the middle Alongside co-host Chris Lucian, Austin reflects on the resistance many developers face when advocating for full adoption of XP practices—like pair and mob programming, evolutionary design, continuous delivery (CD), test driven development (TDD), and bug-free codebases. They also explore how to escape local optima by introducing meaningful “mutations” to your dev environment and culture. Whether you're a software engineer tired of firefighting and regressions, a team lead wondering why your “agile” isn’t working, or a practitioner curious about what it means to really commit to Extreme Programming, this conversation pulls no punches. 👍 Like the episode? Hit the thumbs up, drop a comment, and share with someone who’s still debating whether TDD is “worth it.” Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/AKXRGmSYgWs  

In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we sit down with James Herr from Flexion to explore the dark side of mob programming — the anti-patterns that quietly erode collaboration, learning, and flow in your team. From the “Fly on the Wall” who silently observes but never joins in, to the “Runaway Driver” who takes control and goes rogue, and the “Knee-High Navigator” who dictates every keystroke, these relatable scenarios shine a light on what can go wrong during mob or ensemble programming sessions — and, we share some potential experiments ideas to address them. James shares real-world insights from years of ensemble experience, walking through the subtle behaviors and team dynamics that lead to these anti-patterns. The discussion moves beyond surface-level symptoms to uncover psychological safety, learning theft, and communication habits that make or break mobbing success. You’ll learn: - What causes common mob programming anti-patterns — and how to recognize them early - Practical techniques to help newcomers integrate smoothly without being overwhelmed - How to use “strong-style” collaboration and mini-retros to restore balance in a team - When to “let it cook” vs. when to intervene to prevent runaway drivers - How to cultivate high-level navigation and reduce micromanagement in coding sessions - Why “white-glove” onboarding for visitors and new mobbers accelerates learning and trust - How naming patterns improves team reflection, vocabulary, and psychological safety This episode dives deep into the human side of technical collaboration, blending agile principles, systems thinking, and lived experience from teams practicing mob and ensemble programming every day. Whether you’re a developer, product owner, engineering leader, or agile coach, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to identify and correct these patterns — before they derail your team’s effectiveness. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/NxLor73Rgds 

Can simplicity be your team’s most powerful productivity tool? In this episode of The Mob Mentality Show, we explore Agile Manifesto Principle #10: “Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.” This isn’t abstract Agile theory — it’s real-world stories and lessons from software teams who’ve learned how to cut waste, focus on what matters, and deliver more by doing less. We share hands-on examples from their work in Mob Programming, Extreme Programming (XP), and Lean Thinking, unpacking how simplicity shows up in everyday team decisions. 🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn: - When saying “no” isn’t the answer — and how to say “yes, and…” instead with... - How small automations can save time, build trust, and remove repetitive work - The power of reducing batch size to get faster feedback and higher quality - What the “nice-to-have bag” taught us about ruthless prioritization - How profitability can actually hide inefficiency and technical waste - Why focusing on the 20% of work that drives 80% of value keeps teams sharp - How to stay lean, adaptable, and resilient — even when things feel “comfortable” - What "gold-plating" really means in the context of software development This conversation hits the intersection of Agile mindset, team collaboration, and developer culture. It’s packed with takeaways for engineers, team leads, and product owners who want to create sustainable, high-performing teams without falling into overproduction or other lean wastes. 💬 Whether you’re scaling a software product, improving team flow, or rethinking your backlog, this episode helps you bring clarity and simplicity to your workflow — so your team can do less, achieve more, and deliver what truly matters. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/W9t4GOU4Vmk  

In this episode of The Mob Mentality Show, we sit down with Gáspár Nagy and Seb Rose, two highly respected voices in the Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) community, to discuss their brand-new book, Effective Behavior-Driven Development, published by Manning Publications. Seb and Gáspár share their hard-won insights from over 15 years of helping teams adopt BDD the right way—focusing not just on tools or syntax, but on real collaboration, shared understanding, and sustainable automation practices. You’ll learn how Example Mapping helps teams uncover hidden assumptions, why Automation Patterns matter for long-term maintainability, and how the Effective BDD book brings together their previous works on Discovery, Formulation, and Automation into one cohesive guide for practitioners. The conversation covers: - What “effective” BDD really looks like in modern agile teams - Why collaboration—not tooling—is the true heart of BDD - How Example Mapping accelerates shared understanding and reduces rework - What automation patterns many test suite needs (and what pitfalls to avoid) - How to write maintainable, meaningful, and human-readable scenarios - Insights from their journey creating Effective BDD and its roots in the patterns community - Real-world lessons from decades of coaching, training, and hands-on development Whether you’re a developer, tester, product owner, or agile coach, this episode will help you see BDD not as a buzzword, but as an actual way to turn up the good on collaboration and quality for software delivery. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/0Yf8oPPKlv8 

In this episode of The Mob Mentality Show, hosts Chris Lucian and Austin Chadwick sit down with Joshua (Schwa) Aresty to explore how remote teams thrive through communication, collaboration, and creativity in modern software development. Together, they unpack three powerful and practical topics shaping the future of agile engineering: 🔹 Remote Work Communication Patterns What makes remote collaboration work — and what breaks it? The discussion dives into real patterns that distributed teams can adopt to communicate more clearly, stay aligned, and maintain momentum without burnout. Learn how to balance synchronous and asynchronous teamwork for maximum flow and productivity. 🔹 Mobbing vs Pairing What’s the difference between mob programming and pair programming in practice? The conversation breaks down the strengths and trade-offs of each approach. Discover when a mob or a pair works best, how to transition between the two, and how these methods can build a culture of shared learning, faster feedback, and higher-quality code. 🔹 Voice Coding and Accessibility Joshua brings unique insights into coding by voice — an approach that challenges traditional ideas of how developers write code. Hear how voice coding improves ergonomics, accessibility, and inclusivity in software engineering. This segment highlights how diverse workflows and adaptive tools can unlock new levels of creativity and collaboration. Whether you’re an agile practitioner, developer, team lead, or engineering manager, this episode delivers practical takeaways you can apply immediately: - Strengthen communication in remote or hybrid teams - Choose between pairing and mobbing effectively - Foster inclusive, accessible engineering environments - Improve team learning and knowledge sharing through ensemble programming 🎧 Tune in to learn how collaborative coding techniques, like mobbing and pairing, can transform not just how software is written — but how teams connect, learn, and grow. Stay connected and join the conversation with the Mob Mentality community — where we explore the people, practices, and patterns that make software development more human, sustainable, and effective. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/vBGwXhTFUkI 

🧹 In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we quickly cover the “Code Janitor” anti-pattern — a hidden trap that can quietly undermine team performance. While teams are often formed to maximize collaboration, learning, and flow, certain team dynamics can introduce dysfunctions. The “Code Janitor” role is one of them. What exactly is the "Code Janitor" anti-pattern? It happens when one person slips into the role of silently cleaning up after the team — fixing formatting, organizing files, refactoring, tidying the codebase, or generally taking on tasks that would be better shared by the whole team. On the surface, it may look helpful, but in reality, it can limit transparency, reduce shared ownership, and end up being "too little, too late." This episode explores why this happens, how to recognize it, and most importantly, what options teams have for mitigation. Listeners will hear hot takes on: - How small, well-intentioned behaviors can spiral into anti-patterns - Why the janitor role reduces the learning opportunities for the whole team - Strategies to keep mob cleaning collaborative and balanced - Tips for fostering healthy communication and shared responsibility - How leaders and team members can encourage practices that improve flow instead of hiding work - Is the “Code Janitor” anti-pattern the lesser of two evils and therefore permissible in some situations? 😅🧼🧽 Whether you’re new to mob programming or a seasoned practitioner, this quick episode is a reminder that even small patterns can have big impacts on engineering culture and team productivity. If you’re passionate about agile software development, software craftsmanship, and continuous improvement, this episode will give you a new lens on how teams work together and how to spot warning signs before they hurt you. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/rckIiSodfyY 

In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we dive into the growing tension between the fast rise of Agentic AI systems and the foundational principles of Extreme Programming (XP) and Lean Software Development. As more teams experiment with multi-agent LLM orchestrators like Claude, GPT-4, and others, does the risk of generating untested, low-quality "AI slop" increase—unless guided by tight feedback loops, small batch sizes, and real tests? We ask: - Can Agentic AI truly support Agile and XP practices—or is it working against them - Are we moving toward AI-driven productivity or just automating chaos faster? - What practices can keep teams grounded as tools grow more autonomous? Join hosts Austin Chadwick and Chris Lucian as they explore: - The difference between AI-assisted XP excellence and Agentic AI slop - Real-world dev experiences using multi-agent architectures - How to apply small iterations, pairing/mobbing, and test-first thinking in AI-augmented workflows - The pitfalls of Agentic orchestration without lean guardrails - Why mob programming and XP might be the missing link in managing AI complexity - Tips for maintaining engineering rigor in a world of AI copilots and task runners If you're experimenting with AI in software teams—or trying to balance automation with craftsmanship—this conversation is packed with insights, practical takeaways, and a few strong opinions. 📢 Share this episode with anyone navigating the messy intersection of AI tools and solid software practices. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/efW8eaOGL28 

In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, Chris Lucian is joined by Amy Dredge, Will Munn, and Mike Clement to dive deep into how Open Space Technology (OST) is transforming the way engineering leaders learn, connect, and solve real-world challenges together. Whether you're a Staff+ engineer, an engineering manager, or a tech leader looking for meaningful growth, this episode uncovers how OST creates space for peer-to-peer learning that’s spontaneous, high-impact, and deeply human. We explore: The Engineering Leadership Summit — what it is, why it matters, and how it's unlike traditional conferences. How Open Space Technology empowers attendees to shape their own agenda and focus on the most pressing leadership challenges. The shift from passive presentations to active conversations among experienced engineering leaders. Lessons learned from hosting and attending open space events — from hallway chats to high-trust collaboration. How tools like GatherTown help replicate the spontaneity of in-person connection in a remote world. Why this format resonates deeply with Staff+ and senior engineering leaders seeking authenticity, relevance, and practical insight. We also compare remote vs. in-person open space events, dig into accessibility, and share actionable tips for running your own internal or external open space sessions inside engineering orgs. 🎧 This is a must-listen for anyone serious about growing engineering culture, building leadership communities, and fostering real, unscripted learning. 💬 What’s your experience with open space formats in tech? Drop a comment or DM us on social. 📌 Topics Covered: Open Space Technology in Engineering Staff+ and Engineering Manager Peer Learning Engineering Leadership Summit Preview GatherTown for Remote Events Community Building in Tech Agile Leadership in Practice Unconference vs. Traditional Conferences FYI: Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/domldsgqkDs 

In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we sit down with Henrik Ståhl, a product manager and advocate for collaborative software development, to explore how mob programming, MVPs, and agile leadership can reshape the way teams build products. Henrik shares a unique product manager perspective on mob programming—why it’s more than just a coding practice and how it becomes a powerful tool for communication, knowledge sharing, and true collaboration across teams. We dive into what happens when product managers actively join mob sessions, the unexpected benefits for decision-making, and how it reduces waste and rework. We also tackle one of the most misunderstood concepts in product development: the MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Henrik explains why many teams fall into the trap of either shipping low-quality “minimums” or overengineering “full products,” and what viable should really mean. You’ll hear insights on how sustainability, scalability, and learning fit into the MVP conversation—whether you’re at a large enterprise or an early-stage startup. Finally, we unpack the infamous phrase “Move Fast and Break Things.” Henrik reframes the idea, showing how moving fast doesn’t mean sacrificing quality or creating chaos, but instead building the right contingency plans, embracing adaptability, and ensuring that speed leads to sustainable outcomes rather than long-term failures. If you’ve ever wrestled with questions like: How can product managers contribute directly in mob programming? What does “viable” really mean in MVP? How do you balance moving fast with building lasting, maintainable products? How can teams avoid rework, miscommunication, and wasted effort? …this episode is packed with practical takeaways and perspectives you can use right away. 🎙️ Listen in to learn how to build better products together—with less blame, fewer silos, and more shared ownership. 📌 Topics Covered: Mob programming from a product manager’s perspective The real meaning of MVP and why “Minimum Viable Whatever” fails Rethinking “Move Fast and Break Things” for sustainable speed Communication, collaboration, and continuous improvement in agile teams Knowledge sharing, reducing waste, and eliminating silos Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/JCZcJ6xT7-8 

In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we explore Agile Manifesto Principle #11: “The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.” This principle often sparks debate. Can teams really create great architecture and design without top-down control? Can autonomy be granted when the team isn’t ready for it? Does self-organization only work when the right skills, trust, and shared values are already in place? Can control without competence cause chaos? We dig into what it really means for modern teams and why it’s still controversial today. Topics covered in this episode include: Why is Agile Manifesto Principle #11 frequently misunderstood in organizations? What dangers arise when control is handed over without building XP competence first? How can mob programming and collective learning raise a team’s ability to self-organize effectively? What role do psychological safety, trust, and leadership support play in enabling autonomy? Why must Agile principles be applied together rather than in isolation? How does Principle #11 connect to Lean thinking and the reduction of common wastes in software development? What real-world lessons show how solid architectures can emerge naturally through collaboration? What practical advice can leaders and agile coaches use to balance empowerment with readiness? The conversation highlights both the promise and the potential pitfalls of applying Agile Principle #11.  This episode is useful for anyone who works in software development, engineering leadership, product management, or Agile coaching and wants to understand how to create conditions where self-organizing teams thrive instead of flounder. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/lTPtr8t3yaM  

This special episode of The Mob Mentality Show is a cross-post from Tuple’s podcast/videocast Distributed, where Chris and Austin join host Jack Hannah for an in-depth conversation about mob programming, agile leadership, and the evolving role of AI in software development. Originally recorded for Distributed, this discussion brings a fresh outside perspective to topics Chris and Austin have explored in over 300 episodes of The Mob Mentality Show—but here, they dive even deeper into the origins of mob programming, how it spread across the organization, and what it takes to protect team culture while scaling. Listeners will hear stories about early experiments—like rearranging office spaces to make pairing/mobbing possible—navigating challenging product owner relationships, and using “cellular division” to grow teams without losing their collaborative spirit. The conversation also covers AI in social coding, from generating code in domain-specific languages to treating AI as another member of the mob, plus honest thoughts on whether AI could ever replace pair or mob programming. Key Topics in This Cross-Post Episode: How one team’s mob programming experiment became an org-wide practice Lessons from creating and sustaining 300+ agile/XP episodes Office and workflow changes that enable collaboration at scale Maintaining team culture through growth and change Where AI fits (and doesn’t) in mob and pair programming Practical advice for teams without internal XP mentors The future of AI in collaborative software development If you’re interested in agile leadership, developer experience, extreme programming, or the human side of software engineering, you’ll get proven strategies you can apply immediately—plus inspiration from seeing how practices spread beyond their starting point. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/Cd0L4jyaUIg   

What does it really look like when Agentic AI systems are integrated into some modern software teams? In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we sit down with David Hirschfeld—founder and CEO—to unpack real-world experiences with Agentic AI, prompt engineering, and workflow automation in dev environments. This is not a theoretical discussion. David brings firsthand stories of building and deploying AI-powered agents. We explore the hands-on challenges and breakthroughs that come with treating AI like a junior developer, giving it structured workflows, and designing systems that can improve with feedback. Highlights include: Is “prompt engineering” dead? What Agentic AI is doing right now to reduce busywork and boost flow and what are the current shortcomings  How AI agents can integrate with tools like Jira and Slack  The cultural shifts needed to make AI part of your agile team Pitfalls of over-reliance on AI and the importance of confidence thresholds (e.g., big bang AI slop vs. small batch AI with verified output)   How voice and vision AI are expanding what’s possible in software development When to automate, when to augment, and when to stay manual The surprising power of “smart laziness” in engineering productivity Lessons from real teams automating their development processes Whether you’re a dev, product manager, or just AI-curious, this episode offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how agentic systems are being used today—not in the future—to transform engineering work. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/cMhnIeGu3Js  

How do you scale an agile team without sacrificing collaboration, flow, or developer experience? In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we’re joined by Brice Ruth—engineering leader at Flexion and ensemble programming advocate—for a deep dive into what it takes to build high-functioning, adaptable software teams through a concept he calls “mob meiosis.” We explore Brice’s journey from solo coding to full-time mob programming, and how his experience in the industry and in government contracts shaped his philosophy on team dynamics, learning cultures, and system design. If you’re looking for actionable insights into building fast feedback loops, enhancing developer onboarding, or evolving your mob into multiple autonomous mobs, this is the episode you don’t want to miss. 🔍 What you’ll learn: What “mob meiosis” is and how it enables team scaling without silos How to engineer feedback loops that operate across code, communication, and team structure Why ensemble programming improves developer flow, learning, and job satisfaction Lessons from transitioning into mobbing full-time—and how to make it sustainable Tips for fostering a culture where pairing, mobbing, and continuous improvement thrive Whether you’re an agile coach, engineering manager, or developer looking to elevate your team’s practices, Brice brings a sharp, experience-backed perspective on what it means to lead with feedback, prioritize team health, and scale with purpose. 🎙️ Subscribe to the Mob Mentality Show for more episodes on ensemble programming, agile culture, and modern software team dynamics. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/W0eJFMzbBME  

In this eye-opening episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we sit down with software engineer and consultant William Bernting to explore a radical approach to hiring, teamwork, and technical leadership. William walks us through his real-world experience with mob programming interviews—a collaborative hiring process where candidates join the team in an ensemble coding session, not a contrived solo coder test. He shares the surprising benefits of evaluating candidates through communication, alignment, and problem-solving over individual technical trivia. We dive into: Why mob programming is a great way to assess team fit and long-term success How to structure collaborative interviews that reduce anxiety and reveal true strengths What happens when you ditch traditional project-led methods and focus on predictability through steady flow How the Cynefin framework helps make sense of complex team dynamics and guides leadership decisions What freelance engineering looks like when trust, autonomy, and collaboration lead the way William also discusses how he's made his work more stable and sustainable—for both clients and team members—without relying on estimates or rigid plans. Instead, he uses continuous delivery, test-driven development (TDD), and mobbing to achieve results that are both reliable and adaptable. Whether you're a hiring manager rethinking your interview process, an engineer looking to join better teams, or a leader trying to move beyond chaotic delivery cycles, this conversation offers practical takeaways and fresh perspective. 🧠 Topics covered: - Mob Programming Interviews - Collaborative Hiring - Cynefin Framework in Tech - Predictability Without Projects - Freelancing in Software Engineering - Team Fit Over Resume Skills - Agile Leadership Without Estimates Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/nnR3_V8FrMQ 

In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we sit down with Taimoor Imtiaz—CTO at a fast-moving, bootstrapped startup—for a raw, insightful dive into how his small dev team applied mob programming, trunk-based development, and GitHub Flow to accelerate delivery without sacrificing code quality. Taimoor shares the journey of how his team transitioned from traditional PR-based workflows to real-time collaboration in mobs. Along the way, they faced timer-switching friction, monorepo challenges, and the trade-offs of scaling extreme programming practices in a production environment. If you’ve ever wondered how mob programming plays out in a high-pressure startup setting—or whether trunk-based development is viable outside of big enterprise environments—this conversation is for you. What you’ll learn in this episode: How GitHub Flow can be adapted for trunk-based development Why mob programming improved debugging and reduced defects Where mob timebox timers went wrong—and what the team did about it The real impact of developer experience and culture on delivery speed Lessons learned from using a monorepo in a fast-growing codebase Using extreme programming when resources are tight Whether you’re a startup CTO, team lead, or individual contributor looking to evolve your team’s workflow, this episode offers real-world insights into modern software development practices that actually work under pressure. Video and Show Notes:  https://youtu.be/yTbzycv9qw4 

📚 How does Mob Programming really work in the college classroom? In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we reconnect with Professor Ben Kovitz to explore the raw lessons, surprising wins, and tough challenges from a full semester of mob programming in a college software design course. Ben shares what happened when he replaced traditional lectures with real-world collaboration. The results? Students developed practical coding skills, improved their communication, and learned to work together as a true software team—less ego, more shared ownership. From early wins with small group design exercises to complex struggles with C++ memory management and GUI libraries, Ben walks us through what worked, what bombed, and what he’d change next time. We break down: Why mob programming created stronger learning and better teamwork than expected How structured rotations got everyone participating and avoiding common pairing pitfalls The highs and lows of using C++ and Qt in a classroom setting The unexpected power of students struggling through real software challenges together Lessons on undo implementation, design patterns, and memory management from hands-on mobbing How a semester wasn’t enough time to fully teach long-term code stewardship and habitable design What might scale—or fall apart—if mob programming were applied to larger classes How this classroom experience mirrors the real world: legacy code, fast feedback, technical debt, and learning as you go Whether you’re a software engineer, an educator, or someone passionate about team learning, this episode gives you actionable insights into mob programming as both a teaching tool and a real-world development practice. We also explore questions like: Can mob programming work with 30+ students? How can solo work and group collaboration coexist in the best learning environments? What does it take to create code that’s not just correct—but actually pleasant to maintain? If you’re interested in agile learning, collaborative coding, and pushing the boundaries of how we teach and work as software teams, this episode is for you. Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/kbNEfAcfmeo  

🎲 In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we dive into a unique and game-changing (literally) approach to learning Test-Driven Development (TDD) with Ted M. Young (JitterTed), John Wilson, and Janis Kampe. Discover the origin story of the TDD board game that started as a simple teaching aid and evolved into a powerful learning experience for developers, teams, and even product managers. Hear how this game went from casual pub nights to becoming a staple for some in team training sessions, meetups, and Agile coaching toolkits. We break down: ✅ How the TDD board game helps teams internalize the deeper steps of TDD beyond the basic "Red-Green-Refactor" mantra. ✅ Why the game’s focus on prediction, risk management, and working in small steps transforms the way people think about writing code. ✅ The surprising ways the game builds psychological safety, making it accessible even to people new to TDD or nervous about exposing gaps in their knowledge. ✅ How the game naturally leads to ensemble (mob) programming and seamless transitions into hands-on coding platforms like CyberDojo. ✅ Practical tips on using the game to onboard, coach, and improve team collaboration—whether you're remote, hybrid, or in-person. We also explore the importance of failing safely, incremental learning, and how the game allows players to experience both the thrill of success and the consequences of cutting corners—without the high stakes of real-world code. Whether you're a developer, Agile coach, product manager, or just curious about TDD, this episode will give you actionable insights on: 🛠 How to enable continuous learning in your teams. 🎯 Why predicting outcomes matters more than just getting green tests. 🎮 How gamification makes TDD fun, social, and sticky. Key Topics: TDD Board Game Mechanics & Variations Psychological Safety in Learning Risk vs. Reward in Software Development Ensemble Programming (Mob Programming) Transitioning from Game to CyberDojo Practical Coaching Tools for TDD and XP Building Stronger Developer-Product Manager Collaboration Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/GjcUdoS5K6I