Mob programming and design studios

Advanced agile teams use whole-team techniques like mob programming and design studios to solve complex problems together and find creative solutions. In mob programming, the entire development team works on a single problem at once. One person controls the keyboard as the "driver," while others guide and make suggestions. This spreads knowledge across the team, unblocks bottlenecks, and often results in better code quality. When product and design team members join these sessions, it becomes "mob problem-solving" that brings diverse viewpoints to tough challenges. Design studios work on similar principles but focus on creative solutions. These structured workshops gather product, design, and development team members to quickly generate and improve design ideas. A typical design studio includes time for individual sketching, presenting ideas to the group, giving feedback, and refining solutions. This uses everyone's creativity while still allowing for individual thinking.

Both approaches break down knowledge silos, create shared ownership, and reduce resistance to ideas developed by others. They work especially well for risky or new features where the team doesn't have established patterns to follow.