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Continued from Page 1
 We created software to help
us create software. But this quickly got out of control and dreadnought CASE tools were born. These tools, originally
created to help us follow the rules, are too hard to use themselves. Computer programmers find it necessary to
cut corners and skip important practices to stay on schedule. No one is actually following the heavy methodologies
we have handcuffed ourselves with. The cowboys have returned and we find ourselves back at the OK Corral.
When programmers ignore the
rules of their methodology they are instinctively moving away from heavyweight methodologies and back toward an
earlier, simpler time of lightweight methodologies when a few rules were enough.
But we don't want to forget what we have learned. We can choose to keep the rules that help us create quality software
and throw away those that hinder our progress. We can simplify those rules that seem too complex to follow correctly.
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We don't want to return to
the early days of cowboy coding when there were no rules at all. But instead let's stop at just enough rules to
keep our software reliable and reasonably priced. Instead of cowboy coders we have software sheriffs; working together
as a team, quick on the draw, armed with a few rules and practices that are light, concise, and effective.
Extreme Programming (XP) is
one of several new lightweight methodologies.
XP has a few rules and a modest number of practices, all of which are easy to follow. XP is a clean and concise
environment developed by observing what makes software development go faster and what makes it move slower. It
is an environment in which programmers feel free to be creative and productive but remain organized and focused. |
