¶ … Programming: Rapid Development for Web-Based Applications" by Frank Maurer and Sebastian Martel of the University of Calgary and is composed of an in-depth explanation of extreme programming (xp). The bulk of the content of the article describes the advantages and benefits of this method. One of the most immediate benefits of extreme programming is that it changes the way that work and communication can manifest in the world of programming: it makes it a more social and team-oriented form of work which is a tremendous advantage. This essentially means that work can be conducted in a more pleasant manner, which means that members of staff will enjoy doing it more, something which will ultimately lead to greater productivity. For example, as the article aptly states, "XP's focus on small teams lets it replace paper-based documentation with face-to-face communication. Hence, it's a good fit for many Web-based software projects, which often postpone documentation efforts because of time-to-market constraints" (Maurer & Martel, 2002). This is no small advantage: companies all around the world and in every field try to find effective, lasting ways to reduce paperwork and to make work more enjoyable and efficient to complete.
As another expect aptly summarizes, "For developers, XP allows you to focus on coding and avoid needless paperwork and meetings. It provides a more social atmosphere, more opportunities to learn new skills, and a chance to go home at a decent time each night. It gives you very frequent feelings of achievement, and generally allows you to produce code that you feel good about" (Smith, 2003). This statement very succinctly describes an overt benefit of this type of coding process, one which the article in question clearly supports: it makes the task of coding more meaningful -- which indicates that programmer will be able to do better work and achieve more lasting and meaningful achievements and innovations.
Many experts in the field praise XP for how it pushes communication and adaptability to the forefront: "the team gets enough feedback to see where they are and to adapt the practices to their unique situation" (enterpriseblog.net, 2009). However, one of the benefits of the Maurer & Martel article is that it doesn't shy away from highlighting the flip side of that aspect. This aspect of extreme programming has an expiration date; it doesn't grow and evolve with the company as the company grows and evolves. As Maurer and Martel point out, "As the development organization grows, however, time spent exchanging product knowledge and training new people increases and often renders XP unsuitable" (2002). This means that there's a point when the method will become obsolete or unusable. The authors of the article have no problem pointing out how there is only a finite time that this type of methodology is useable; that it's simply unable to develop and flourish with the changing needs of the programmer and corresponding company.
However, the article fails to go truly in-depth into some of the more immediate problems that can arise when implementing XP. Xp poses some very unavoidable and very immediate problems that make it unsuitable for a range of organizations, merely as a result of certain logistic issues. " Its attraction is that it puts developers in control of the development process. That's a 'fantastic win,' says software consultant Pete McBreen, author of Questioning Extreme Programming (Addison-Wesley). 'The problem is that you need an entrepreneurial, agile, or custom organization that can make decisions quickly,' says McBreen. 'That's where problems surface. The XP concept rests on the premise of the whole team being in one place so it can quickly answer developers' questions.' Getting answers from a middle manager about a project's requirements can keep everyone waiting, says McBreen" (Weinstein, 2002). Thus, this demonstrates that because Xp is such a highly communicative process -- a process which essentially relies on communication, it's going to be held...
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