Of all the agile processes, Extreme Programming (XP) is the clearest, most complete, and least muddled. Many other software developerment approaches that were invented afterwards are a subset of - or a variation on XP. I don’t dismiss those approaches; some fit specific projects types. But when I want my builders to learn what the original agile software development approach was about, I point them to XP as a great template to start with. ...
Want to stop wasting time building the wrong thing. Every iteration ask the stakeholders, what should we build next? They answer in business-value order, and we implement in that order. Yes, features have dependencies — we’re builders; we handle them. The point is simple: let stakeholders decide priority so the team can focus on delivering value. When stakeholders say a feature is low value, we don’t build it yet. When they point to something critical, we give it attention first. ...
Have you ever had the project stakeholders demand everything by a fixed date? Tell them plainly — if you want every feature, the timeline will stretch. Don’t argue; Show the data. When stakeholders insist, ask them to choose: accept a later date or reduce scope. In rational organizations the numbers win: teams deliver what’s prioritized. Help the stakeholders scrutinize the plan, identify what truly must ship by the deadline, and gently defer the rest. It hurts to drop features, but real choices beat false promises. ...
The fastest way to finish is not to cut corners — it’s to raise the bar on quality. Quick‑and‑dirty doesn’t speeds things up. Trash code, missing tests, skipped reviews - they slow the team down. When technical debt accumulates, every change takes longer, bugs multiply, and momentum dies. Instead do things well: keep tests in the flow, do reviews, refactor relentlessly, and protect sustainable work practices. These habits look slower at first, but they pay back quickly in reduced rework and faster, safer delivery. ...
Piling in fresh people onto a late project is rarely the quick fix managers hope for. Brooks’ Law is real: adding manpower to a late project makes it later. When new people arrive, productivity usually plunges while the team absorbs them. Veterans spend time teaching instead of building, and team recovery is slow moving - if it does at all. Hiring can help over the long haul, but as a fast remedy it’s a gamble. Often budgets won’t allow more staff, so the practical levers are scope, quality, and how the current team works together. ...