Kata Guidelines

We usually follow the practices listed in our kata meet-ups, unless mentioned otherwise.

We…

1. Code in pairs (or mobs)

“For an idea to go from your head into the computer it MUST go through someone else’s hands”

We work on katas in pairs or groups/mobs, usually in a hybrid of driver/navigator & strong-styled pairing.

One partner (the driver) is at the keyboard, and is sharing their screen if remote. The remaining members navigate - they share intent with the driver, which the driver then translates into code. Every 5-10, we rotate roles.

Read more about pair programming on Martin Fowler’s blog.

2. Keep tests in the green

Run tests frequently and refactor code incrementally, preferring safe refactors (i.e. using the IDE). If tests are red for more than a few minutes, consider reverting to a stable state.

3. Commit often

Supports the previous principle (“Keep tests in the green”) by allowing to revert to a previous good state.

Allows experimentation (“spike solutions”) if you or your partner wants to try something out, and then want to revert back to previous state.

Also useful when demoing code to other groups at the meet-up.