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Information Retrieval and the Web |
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April 2002 eXtreme Programming Published on behalf of CEPIS
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Guest Editor: Luis Fernández Sanz
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Guest Editor: Luis Fernández Sanz
Acrobat Reader is required to display PDF files |
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Abstract: The Guest
Editor describes the aim and contents of the issue and provides a comprehensive
list of books, conferences, journals, tools and portals on eXtreme Programming.
A new method of Software
Development: eXtreme Programming [PDF: 5
pages, 358 KB]
César F. Acebal
and Juan M. Cueva Lovelle
Abstract: What is "eXtreme Programming", also known as XP? The aim of this article is to answer that question, and to reveal the nature of this new method of software development to the uninitiated reader. Naturally the length of any technical article does not permit more than a brief introduction to any new method or technique, but we will try to be sufficiently informative so that you will all come away with some idea of the basic underlying principles, and for anyone who might want to delve deeper into the subject, we will provide suitable references.
Errata: Figure 3 in
page 7 of this paper has an error. To display the right version of the
figure click here.
Programming Extremism
[PDF:
2 pages, 334 KB]
Michael McCormick
Abstract: The author
reviews antecedents and experiences of the "agile" methodology of software
development called eXtreme Programming, comparing it to other methodologies
and pointing to its advantages and disadvantages from a pragmatic standpoint,
depending on the kind of project it applies to. He draws the conclusion
that it is necessary to stay away from "religious" positions about existing
methodologies.
The Need for Speed: Automating
Acceptance Testing in an eXtreme Programming Environment
[PDF:
7 pages, 419 KB]
Lisa Crispin, Tip House
and Carol Wade (Contributor)
Abstract: In "eXtreme
Programming Explained", Kent Beck compares eXtreme Programming to driving
a car: the driver needs to steer and make constant corrections to stay
on the road. If the XP development team is steering the car, the XP tester
is navigating. Someone needs to plot the course, establish the landmarks,
keep track of the progress, and perhaps even ask for directions. Acceptance
tests must go beyond functionality to determine whether the packages meet
goals such as specified performance levels. Automating end-to-end testing
from the customer point of view can seem as daunting as driving along the
edge of a cliff with no guard rail. At Tensegrent, a software engineering
firm in Denver organized around XP practices, the developers and the tester
have worked together to design modularized, self-verifying tests that can
be quickly developed and easily maintained. This is accomplished through
a combination of in-house and vendor-supplied tools.
Qualitative Studies of
XP in a Medium Sized Business [PDF: 5 pages,
347 KB]
Robert Gittins, Sian
Hope and Ifor Williams
Abstract: Qualitative
Research Methods are used to discover the effects of applying eXtreme Programming
(XP) in a software development business environment. Problems dominating
staff development, productivity and efficiency are parts of a complex human
dimension uncovered in this approach. The interpretation and development
of XP's "Rules and Practices" are reported, as well as the interlaced communication
and human issues affecting the implementation of XP in a medium sized business.
The paper considers the difficulties of applying XP in a changing software
requirements environment, and reports on early deployment successes, failures
and discoveries, and describes how management and staff adapted during
this period of change. The paper examines the benefits of a flexible management
approach to XP methodology, and records the experiences of both management
and staff, as initial practices matured and new practices emerged.
XP and Software Engineering:
an opinion [PDF: 4 pages, 341 KB]
Luis Fernández
Sanz
Abstract: In this
article, the author makes some reflections on certain specific aspects
of eXtreme Programming as described in Kent Beck's book "eXtreme Programming
explained. Embrace change". The analysis presented here is in relation
to principles and techniques of software engineering.
XP in Complex Project
Settings: Some Extensions [PDF: 5 pages,
328 KB]
Martin Lippert, Stefan
Roock, Henning Wolf and Heinz Züllighoven
Abstract: XP has one
weakness when it comes to complex application domains or difficult situations
at the customer's organization: the customer role does not reflect the
different interests, skills and forces with which we are confronted in
development projects. We propose splitting the customer role into a user
and a client role. The user role is concerned with domain knowledge; the
client role defines the strategic or business goals of a development project
and controls its financial resources. It is the developers' task to integrate
users and clients into a project that builds a system according to the
users' requirements, while at the same time attain the goals set by the
client. We present document types from the Tools & Materials approach
[Lilienthal/Züllighoven 97] which help developers to integrate users
and clients into a software project. All document types have been used
successfully in a number of industrial projects together with the well-known
XP practices.
Note: See also the references included in the papers published in this issue.
This article include a brief explanation o f characteristics and advantages of agile software development approaches (not only XP). Moreover, it include a manifesto where representative persons related to agile development software methods state their compromise with "individuals, working software, customer collaboration and responding to change" as a clear guide for overcoming current problems in software development. The importance of this article, in my opinion, does not reside in its content but in the reaction that it has provoked in the IEEE Computer Magazine Community. For example:
| Last updated on April 28th, 2002 | by Rafael Fernández Calvo and François Louis Nicolet |
| <rfcalvo@ati.es> |
