The XP Alternative

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XP is a third way. To use it you need to accept the following three premises:

• Estimates are guesses. There are too many variables and unknowns in a complex project to make more than sweeping estimates of how long things will take and at what cost.

• The customer can't describe what is required in the detail your team needs up front. The project itself will greatly influence the customer's requirements and customers will change their minds as the project proceeds.

• There are business factors beyond the project manager's or customer's foresight. Team members will leave, the market in which the project was to be launched will change, and priorities will fluctuate.

XP planning is important, but keep in mind that the long- term plan, the release plan, is a guideline, not a contract. ^[1] Our experience in using XP for Web project planning has shown that you need to take account of six essential elements:

^[1] See Chapter 4 for a full discussion of release planning.

• Iterations

• User stories

• Project velocity

• The Team

• Communications

• Adapting XP for the Web

I l @ ve RuBoard