What is Pair Programming? — UK Software Development Guide
Direct Answer
Pair programming is a software development technique where two programmers work together at one workstation — one writes code (the "driver") while the other reviews each line (the "navigator"). The roles switch frequently. Pair programming improves code quality, reduces bugs, and facilitates knowledge transfer.
Pair-programming in the UK
Pair programming is used selectively in UK software development — it is most valuable for: complex or security-critical code (pair review catches bugs that individual developers miss), onboarding new team members (knowledge transfer is accelerated), and tackling particularly difficult technical problems. It has UK regulatory relevance: GDPR Article 32 requires "appropriate technical measures" — code review (whether via pair programming or formal PR review) is a key component of technical risk management. ClickMasters uses pair programming for security-critical components and regular PR review for all other code.
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