The New User and Client Roles

The user is the domain expert that the XP team has to support with the software system under development. The user is therefore the first source of information when it comes to functional requirements.

The client role is not concerned with detailed domain knowledge or functional requirements. The client focuses on business needs, such as reducing the organizational overhead of a department by $100,000 U.S. a year. Given this strategic background, the client defines the goals of the software development project ("Reduce the organizational overhead of the loan department by $100,000 U.S. per year") and supplies the money for the project. The client is thus the so-called goal donor and the gold owner.

It is often not easy to reconcile the needs of users and clients at the same time. What the users want may not be compatible with the goals of the client. What we need, then, are dedicated instruments to deal with both roles.