Shots and Mobs
How our barista training taught me mob programming
We recently had a new barista start in our cafe and our training method is somewhat unorthodox. We just toss you into a rotation. That’s it. We bring you in, put you behind the machine, and invite the rest of the team to huddle around. Then, we swap. It’s especially handy when we have seasonal menu changes, new baristas, or people that want cross training.
The new barista in this situation, Mac, was slinging shots, showing us cool things we didn’t know, and overall holding her own at the busiest station in the shop. Turns out, she had been a barista before. She was able to jump right in and start using what she knew to quickly learn our style in the cafe while teaching us some things at the same time.
It reminded me of a concept in software engineering called mobbing. Essentially, instead of having each person doing their own thing, which some deem the most efficient, you have everyone working on the same challenge. One keyboard, a team of people, all looking at the same problem. As an added bonus, you rotate the person at the keys.
If you are clutching your proverbial pearls at the idea of such inefficient waste, you should probably stop reading now.
But the science around the value of mobbing is in: collaboration, connectedness, learning, and throughput grow exponentially quicker than everyone throwing on headphones and going solo.
So don’t start by mobbing all the time.
Start with one problem. Two people, one keyboard.
Pair for an hour. Pair for a story. Pair to onboard someone new. Then do it again. Or skip the ramp entirely and try a full mob a few times. Real work, real pressure, real learning. Just like Mac. And it doesn’t even have to be someone you think has prior skills. Try someone who has no clue. See what they figure out.
You’ll feel slower at first.
Then you’ll notice something surprising.
The ramp-up curve doesn’t just improve.
It explodes.
Until next time,
Go Forth, and Mob!