Extreme Programming (XP) at a Glance

Extreme Programming (XP) is a lightweight software development methodology based on principles of simplicity, communication, feedback, and courage.   I like to be able to scan methodologies to compare approaches.  To do so, I create a skeleton of the activities, artifacts, principles, and practices.    Here are my notes on XP:

Activities

• Coding
• Testing
• Listening
• Designing

Artifacts

• Acceptance tests
• Code
• Iteration plan
• Release and iteration plans
• Stories
• Story cards
• Statistics about the number of tests, stories per iteration, etc.
• Unit tests
• Working code every iteration

12 Practices

Here’s the 12 XP practices:

• Coding Standards
• Collective Ownership
• Continuous Integration
• On-Site Customer
• Pair Programming
• Planning Game
• Refactoring
• Short Releases
• Simple Design
• Sustainable Pace
• System Metaphor
• Test-Driven Development

For a visual of the XP practices, see a picture of the Practices and Main Cycles of XP.

5 Values (Extreme Programming Explained)

• Communication
• Courage
• Feedback
• Respect
• Simplicity

Phases

The following are phases of an XP project life cycle.

• Exploration Phase
• Planning Phase
• Iteration to Release Phase
• Productionizing Phase
• Maintenance Phase

For a visual overview, see Agile Modeling Throughout the XP Lifecycle.

12 Principles (Agile Manifesto)

These are the 12 Agile principles according to the  Agile Manifesto:

• Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
• Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
• Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
• Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
• Build projects around motivated individuals.  Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
• The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
• Working software is the primary measure of progress.
• Agile processes promote sustainable development.   The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
• Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
• Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.
• The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
• At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly

4 Values (Agile Manifesto)

These are the four Agile values according to the Agile Manifesto:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

Additional Resources

• Using an Agile Software Process with Offshore Development (Martin Fowler)
• Extreme Programming (Ward Cunningham’s Wiki)
• XProgramming.com (Ron Jeffries)
• Agile Manifesto
• Extreme Programming (Wikipedia)
• Practices and Main Cycles of XP (Ron Jeffries)
• Extreme Programming Core Practices (Ward Cunningham’s Wiki)

My Related Posts

• MSF Agile at a Glance
• Rational Unified Process (RUP) at a Glance
• Microsoft Solution Framework (MSF) at a Glance