BackCover

Back Cover

Extreme Programming Refactored: The Case Against XP is meant to provide an independent look at Extreme Programming. It is meant to cut through the marketing hype of Extreme Programming and expose a number of weaknesses with this approach to software development. It tries to draw a distinction between true "agility" in a software process and "fragility" inherent in techniques such as oral documentation. Extreme Programming (XP) is a consummate mix of good goals, some good advice, and lots of bad advice. The goals and the good advice draw people in; the bad advice can potentially cause projects to fail. The XPers' theory is that when applied together, this mixture of rules will somehow magically be safe. XP therefore represents a high-risk process, wrapped in a "feel-good" methodology. The marketing, hype, and earnest self-assurance of its authors will convince many project leaders to try out XP on their next project.

In Extreme Programming Refactored: The Case Against XP into a more viable process, Rosenberg and Stephens are not attempting to define a new methodology, as there are plenty of those in the World already. Instead, they will be examining XP in the context of existing methodologies and processes such as RUP, ICONIX, Spiral, RAD, DSDM, etc - and showing how XP goals can be achieved using these existing processes (with a slight emphasis on RUP and ICONIX), using software wisdom that has been tried and proven to work again and again.

About the Authors

Matt Stephens has been a software developer for over ten years (or twenty+ years if you count his first experience with programming at the age of 11). Much of his commercial work has involved Systems Integration, enterprise architecture, and team leading. Matt lives in Southwest London, England and is currently working as a technical architect and agile process mentor in Central London. He is also the editor of (and regular contributor to) a satirical website for software developers and managers.

Doug Rosenberg of ICONIX Software Engineering, Inc. has been providing system development tools and training for nearly two decades, with particular emphasis on object-oriented methods . He developed a Unified Booch/Rumbaugh/Jacobson design method in 1993 that preceded Rational s UML by several years. He has produced more than a dozen multimedia tutorials on object technology, including COMPREHENSIVE COM and COMPLETE CORBA, and is the author of Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML and Applying Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML .