Description of the Context of the Experience

Our company was formed around XP, which meant that all our developers and our management were committed to XP from the conception of the company. The developers on this project had worked together on other XP projects for a few months, and some had long relationships during their careers, so we had a team that was ready to hit the ground running.

Our client for this project was also a start-up, which meant that they were more open to XP than a larger company with an existing methodology might have been. Many of our customers had backgrounds in development, so they were familiar with the shortcomings of conventional methodologies. They were also at a stage in their development where it was possible for them to remain on-site through most of the life of the project.

The XP-standard environment prescribed by Kent Beck proved its worth in this project [Beck2000]. We often had four pairs (including client developers) engaged on the four workstations in the corners of our development room. And much of the communication during the project happened indirectly as people overheard and responded to what an adjacent pair was discussing. The walls covered with whiteboard wallpaper also worked out well; they always held design scratchings and project notes. Even when we had online data such as bug reports, we put highlights up on the wall because they acted as a physical reminder of our priorities. Our wireless network and dockable laptops worked well too they made it much easier for us to switch pairs and get together in another room for an impromptu design session.

We decided to allocate a specific and separate space for customers outside the development room. This helped them remain productive with their "real" jobs while still remaining accessible to the development team. It also meant that they didn't get in the way of the developers. Although we tried to be as open as possible, we also felt it necessary on occasion to meet in a separate room without customers present. Likewise, we made space available for the customers so that they could meet among themselves when they felt the need.