What is the focus of 'pair programming' in agile development?

The emphasis of pair programming in agile development is on developing code in pairs for better collaboration. This practice involves two programmers working together at one workstation. One person, often referred to as the "driver," writes the code while the other, known as the "observer" or "navigator," reviews each line as it is written. This collaborative effort allows for immediate feedback, enhanced problem-solving capabilities, and encourages knowledge sharing between team members.

By working together, pairs can identify defects early, improve code quality, and spread individual knowledge throughout the team, making the entire group more effective. Additionally, this practice supports the agile principle of collaboration by fostering open communication and mutual support, ultimately leading to a more cohesive team.

In contrast, focusing on working solo limits the opportunities for immediate feedback and collaborative learning, while creating extensive documentation can detract from actual coding efforts. Testing software components individually does not leverage the benefits of collaboration that pair programming offers, which aligns more closely with agile methodologies.