in 99 words

You'll need support, from managers and colleagues. Work together, in the same room, and include business experts. Keep the team small--five to twenty people. Don't ignore practices: they're more important than they seem.

A brand-new codebase and a language that's easy to refactor are best for learning. Try to include an experienced coach, and an experienced designer. It's best if everyone gets along.

You don't have to do any of these if you don't want to. (We provide alternatives.) But you'll have more success, and more fun, if you fix your environment rather than compromising your work.

as haiku

slippery, muddy--
where grass died, pepperbushes
provide fragrant blooms

Behind the Scenes

Truth or Clarity?

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Inside the Book

• Is XP Right For Us?
• Prerequisite #1: Management Support
  • If management isn't supportive...
• Prerequisite #2: Team Agreement
  • If people resist...
• Prerequisite #3: A Colocated Team
  • If your team isn't colocated...
• Prerequisite #4: On-Site Customers
  • If your product manager is too busy to be on-site...
  • If your product manager is inexperienced...
  • If you can't get a good product manager at all...
  • If you can't get other on-site customers...
• Prerequisite #5: The Right Team Size
  • If you don't have even pairs...
  • If your team is larger than seven programmers...
  • If your team is smaller than four programmers...
  • If you have many developers working solo...
• Prerequisite #6: Use All the Practices
  • If practices don't fit...
• Recommendation #1: A Brand-New Codebase
  • If you have preexisting code...
• Recommendation #2: Strong Design Skills
  • If no one has strong design skills...
• Recommendation #3: A Language That's Easy to Refactor
  • If your language is hard to refactor...
• Recommendation #4: An Experienced Programmer-Coach
  • If you have no obvious coach...
  • If your leaders are inexperienced...
  • If you're assigned a poor coach...
• Recommendation #5: A Friendly and Cohesive Team
  • If your team doesn't get along...