What Are The Three Practices of Extreme Programming?

There are a lot of frameworks for building software using Agile models. Extreme programming practice, also called XP, is one of the most important. XP is used to improve the quality of software and make it more responsive to customer needs. This article will focus on the three practices of extreme programming. 

What is Extreme Programming?

Extreme Programming (XP) is an agile software development approach that strives to deliver higher quality software and improve the development team's quality of life. XP is the most detailed agile framework when it comes to software development engineering methods. It is called extreme because it promotes productivity and assures efficient implementation of concepts and values.

When To Use Extreme Programming

Here are situations in which you need to use extreme programming:

• Extreme programming is useful in projects where needs are constantly evolving.
• The timeframe is determined even before the project begins in certain crucial undertakings. This is known as project risk since meeting these deadlines is difficult. Therefore, Extreme Programming also mitigates project risk by employing frequent, shorter development cycles and providing early feedback.
• XP is suitable for projects when there are no more than 12 programmers in a team.

The Three Practices of Extreme Programming

Extreme programming is grouped into three broad categories with each category having sub-divisions:

1. Process

• Planning Game
• On-site customer
• Testing
• Small releases

2. Team

• Coding standards
• Pair programming
• Collective ownership
• Continuous integration

3. Programming

• Simple design
• Testing
• Refactoring

Now, below is the description of what each sub-division entails and how they can help you enhance your software development process:

1. The Planning Game

The planning game takes place at the start of an iteration cycle. The client and the development team meet to discuss and approve the product's features. At the conclusion of the meeting, developers assign responsibilities for the subsequent iteration and release.

2. On-Site Customer

According to XP, as we have already discussed, the end user should engage in development. The customer must be present at all times to answer team inquiries, establish priorities, and handle any required conflicts.

3. Pair Programming

This method needs two programmers to collaborate on the same piece of code. While the first developer concentrates on writing, the second evaluates code, makes suggestions for improvements, and corrects errors as they occur. Such collaboration produces high-quality software and expedites the exchange of information, but it takes around 15 percent more time. Long-term projects are better suited to pair programming in this aspect.

4. Code Refactoring

XP teams employ refactoring to generate business value with well-designed software in each short iteration. The purpose of this method is to continually enhance the code. Refactoring reduces redundancy, deletes unneeded functions, boosts code coherence, and disconnects elements.

5. Continuous Integration

Developers always maintain system integration. XP teams advance iterative development by committing code many times per day, which is also known as continuous delivery. Programmers discuss which portions of code may be shared or reused. Thus, they are aware of the particular functionality that must be developed. The policy of common code facilitates the elimination of integration issues. Additionally, automated testing enables developers to identify and correct mistakes before launch.

6. Simple Design

Software designs should be as simple as possible. Any complexity should be eliminated. The optimal design should pass all tests, include no duplicate code, and have as few methods and classes as possible. It should also convey the programmer's objective clearly. 

7. Coding Standards

A team must have standardized coding methods, employing the same forms and styles while writing codes. Application of standards enables all team members to read, share, and rework code easily, keep track of who worked on specific portions of code, and accelerate the learning of other programmers. Code that follows the same standards promotes collective ownership.

8. Collective Ownership Code

This technique announces an entire team’s responsibility for the design of a system. Each team member can examine and amend code. Developers that have access to code will never be in a position where they do not know where to add a new feature. The practice prevents duplicate coding. The use of communal code ownership empowers the team to work more collaboratively and freely contribute new ideas.

9. Small Releases

This strategy proposes releasing the minimum viable product (MVP) rapidly and evolving the product further through incremental updates. Small releases enable developers to obtain feedback regularly, spot errors early, and monitor the product's performance in production. 

10. Test-Driven Development

XP teams practice test-driven development (TDD), which involves developing an automated unit test prior to writing the actual code. According to this methodology, all code must pass the test before being released. Therefore, software developers concentrate on developing code that can perform the required function. TDD enables programmers to use rapid feedback to develop dependable software in this manner. 

Conclusion

Agile principles are becoming increasingly popular due to their effectiveness in product and software development. Although extreme programming is not the most popular software development technique, it includes several practices that may benefit software development. Therefore, you should consider these extreme programming practices for your projects. If you are searching for freelance web developers, our website list some of the best freelance web developers and designers in the industry. Do well to check them out.