Code with the Wisdom of the Crowd

Mobbing on Explorative Work

Every now and then you’ll run into situations that have no clear next step for the mob. This is quite common when new technology is being adopted and nobody has used it before, or when you have taken over a system in a tech stack that’s unfamiliar to everyone. This explorative work can often leave you scratching your head wondering what to do next.

What Usually Happens

It’s interesting to watch how inexperienced mobs handle this. First, there’s usually an awkward moment of silence while everyone in the mob waits for someone else to suggest the next steps (everyone is secretly hoping that somebody else knows what to do). Then, as you realize you’re all at the same level, there’s a mad rush of suggestions from different ...