Ensembling or mobbing is an excellent technique to collaborate on testing or programming tasks. It’s also a great way to learn something new. While participating in an ensemble is not that hard, a good ensemble doesn’t just happen naturally. It does require some skill. Working with a group of people on a single machine, where everything has to be put into words before it’s done, is quite different from how we usually work. You might even doubt it could work at all.

In this workshop I will facilitate an ensemble through four different sessions. Of course I’ll first explain the basics of ensembling. The roles of driver, navigator, and ensemble. The values of kindness, consideration, and respect. Communicating on the right level: intent, what to do, how to do it. And the importance of having a bias to action.

In the first of the four sessions we’ll do some exploratory testing, sticking to the rules of ensembling. In the second session we will make changes to those rules to see how that affects the ensemble. Next we will do some programming, i.e. build some test automation. Finally we’ll focus on how ensembling can facilitate learning, by doing something that’s completely new to everyone in the ensemble.

Throughout the day we will regularly reflect on what’s working and what’s not working. We will also create a list of skills needed for a successful ensemble.
At the end of this workshop, you will not only have experience working in an ensemble. You’ll have seen how ensembling works for different kinds of activities: testing, programming, and learning. And you will know what differentiates a good ensemble from a poor one.