If you remember, Extreme Programming is an agile software-development methodology. XP helps you remain light on your feet by avoiding unnecessary baggage and by incorporating feedback continuously. Changing requirements are an expected and acceptable risk, because the customer sees the system being developed in real-time. Mistakes are immediately visible and are corrected while the feature’s implementation is fresh and pliable, much like a potter reworks clay.

Programmers work and rework the code in XP projects. The customer sees a system grow from layer upon layer of detail. The software is only as effective as the details it embodies. Details do matter, and XP programmers reflect back to the customer in the only way that matters: working code.

So, here are some guidelines to get up and running with XP…
– Team size should be 5 or less people.
– Iterations are one week long.
– The Planning Game is a meeting at the beginning of each iteration to prioritize the work and get technical estimates – meant to be quick and dirty meeting as the plan can change if needed.
– Look to release after every iteration if possible.
– The scope with-in each iteration is flexible as long as the work has not been started.
– The team works in a strict priority order. Features to be developed are prioritized by the customer.
– XP incorporates engineering practices, particularly things like test-driven development, automated testing, pair programming, simple design, refactoring, and so on.
– Have Daily standups as you do in Scrum.
– Have a Retrospective with your team at least once every two iterations.

Apart from these quick and dirty guidelines, remember to follow the 4 values and 12 principles as highlighted below:

Core Values

1. Communication
2. Simplicity
3. Feedback
4. Courage

The Practices

XP’s practices embody the values described in the previous sections. In his book Extreme Programming Explained Kent Beck defines the 12 practices as follows (quoted verbatim):

The Planning Game
Quickly determine the scope of the next release by combining business priorities and technical estimates. As reality overtakes the plan, update the plan.

Small releases
Put a simple system into production quickly, then release new versions on a very short cycle.

Metaphor
Guide all development with a simple shared story of how the whole system works.

Simple design
The system should be designed as simply as possible at any given moment. Extra complexity is removed as soon as it is discovered.

Testing
Programmers continually write unit tests, which must run flawlessly for development to continue. Customers write tests demonstrating the features are finished.

Refactoring
Programmers restructure the system without changing its behavior to remove duplication, improve communication, simplify, or add flexibility.

Pair programming
All production code is written with two programmers at one machine.

Collective Ownership
Anyone can change any code anywhere in the system at any time.

Continuous Integration
Integrate and build the system many times a day, every time a task is completed.

40-hour week
Work no more than 40 hours a week as a rule. Never work overtime a second week in a row.

On-site customer
Include a real, live user on the team, available full-time to answer questions.

Coding standards
Programmers write all code in accordance with rules emphasizing communication through the code.

These 12 simple practices realize the four core values! So, Good Luck Implementing XP!