Level Up: Ops Tech Code Retreat Experience

Level Up: Ops Tech Code Retreat Experience

What Is a Code Retreat?

According to coderetreat.org:

“Coderetreats are free day-long, intensive practice events, focusing on the fundamentals of software development and design. By providing developers the opportunity to take part in focused practice, away from the pressures of ‘getting things done’…"

A code retreat gives developers a chance to deliberately practice their craft in a safe, pressure-free environment. There’s no expectation to ship working software — the focus is on process, collaboration, and learning.

What Did We Do?

Instead of a full-day format, we ran a condensed 90 minute code retreat — enough for a single focused pairing session. Traditional retreats involve multiple rounds and pair rotations, but we adapted it to suit our time constraints.

We kicked things off by setting the scene:

• Introducing ping-pong pairing
• Explaining outside-in TDD
• Emphasising behaviour-focused tests

Guidelines We Used

• Practice TDD and pairing — write no production code before a failing test.
• Work as a team — discuss testing, design, and approach.
• Solving the problem isn’t the goal — learning is.
• Focus on testing behaviour, not just functions.
• Use any programming language.
• No AI — human brainpower only!

The Kata

We used the kata “Simple String Indices” and discussed some ways to approach it:

• Begin with a failing acceptance test
• Evolve the solution through unit tests

Pairings were self-organised. Some participants were remote, others in the office. Thanks to tools like IntelliJ Code With Me, everyone could collaborate seamlessly across locations.

After about 50 minutes of focused pairing, we regrouped. Each team shared:

• Their testing strategy
• The code and tests they developed
• What they learned from the process

What We Learned

• Choosing the right test to start with was pivotal.
• Large, complex tests made design harder — small focused tests worked better.
• Practicing TDD led to more readable, behaviour-driven tests.
• Tests helped guide the design rather than constrain it.
• In-person collaboration sparked lively discussion and strong team engagement.

Reflections & Feedback

The session received an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. Feedback highlights included:

💬 “It was fun learning about pairing and TDD in this fashion.”
💬 “It was good coding something different to our usual business logic.”
💬 “The session was well structured.”
💬 “Collaborating made it more entertaining.”

Ideas for Future Sessions

• Encourage more participants, especially in person
• Have participants preconfigure starter projects to avoid setup time
• Set up a shared Git environment to:
  • Commit team code
  • Review solutions
  • Reflect on different design paths

Final Thoughts on Facilitation

To get the most out of future sessions, consider:

TDD Readiness

• Do participants know the Red-Green-Refactor cycle?
• Are they comfortable writing tests before production code?
• Are they familiar with outside-in TDD?

Pre-Session Prep

• Ensure dev environments are ready (IDEs, dependencies, etc.)
• Share a short guide or cheat sheet on TDD and ping-pong pairing

Enhancements

• Include a quick demo before starting
• Assign a facilitator to rotate among teams (in-person or virtually)

Conclusion

This code retreat offered a refreshing break from the day-to-day and created space to reflect, experiment, and collaborate. It reminded us that practice without pressure builds confidence, skill, and team synergy.

We’re excited to run more of these in the future — and hope to see even more of you next time!