Daily TDD Kata – now I’m doing what Jack does
Last week I had the pleasure of attending Roy Osherove’s Test Driven Development Masterclass, I will post in a few days more on this but can say this is one of the best training courses I have ever attended.
During the course I got to learn about the Kata technique, something I had heard about but had never investigated.
Kata is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs. most commonly known for the presence in the martial arts.
The theory is that if you practice a common technique regularly (every day) over time the actions will become natural and automatic, you will have muscle memory. During the course Roy introduced the idea of coding a reasonably detailed solution, using all of the good TDD practices (Red, Green, Refactor), every day so that the techniques used become second nature, the act of coding something using TDD is natural.
Over the course of the week the class went from being unable to code half of the problem in 30 minutes, to being able to complete the solution. The obvious productivity’s aside, I will discuss this in a future post, it was clear that every developer in the class was able to master a new technique. In fact I have tweeted with some of the class members who were doing the same code Kata on Saturday morning.
So what does Jack do?
Although he did join me in my Sunday morning Kata I am not saying that Jack has been doing these coding Katas for years. No, Jack has been doing Kumon mathematics since he was 4 years old.
Kumon is a math and reading enrichment program. Students do not work together as a class, but progress through the curriculum at their own pace, moving on to the next level when they have achieved mastery of the previous level. Mastery is defined as speed and accuracy. They only progress when they have mastered the skills through practice and repetition.
Kumon sheets (numbers of questions) are completed daily, they build up the students skills in mental arithmetic and techniques by repeating them often. Jack, like all new students, started at a level that is below their current ability but through which they can quickly progress. Jack started at level 6A and moved quickly through the numbers bonds and now has an amazing ability to do mental maths. Although challenging at times Jack has continued with his daily Kumon (KATA) and had reached the G-League before starting high school, an amazing achievement.
So I can now say that Jack and I will be doing our daily Kata together, perhaps aiming to master a different art, but taking a daily step closer to achieving that mastery.
Kata is definitely something that will become a way of life for people at 21apps, the value is real and measurable, the personal satisfaction is infectious.
