Chapter 9. Working at This Intensity Is Hard

Software development is supposed to be fun.

As you may have guessed, Extreme Programming is a high-intensity approach to software development. The planning practices are geared toward delivering maximal value in minimal calendar time. Delivering incrementally in short timeboxed iterations to exacting test standards is rewarding but difficult. Managed incorrectly, this could easily lead to burnout and staff turnover.

Because burnout and staff turnover are great ways to crash and burn any project, XP counters these pressures with practices that improve the social dynamics of the team. It ensures that software development is a truly collaborative process, both between programmers and between programmers ...

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