Amazon.com (ISBN 0201709376, Paperback)

For any organization or team considering adopting the Extreme Programming (XP) software methodology, Extreme Programming in Practice provides a downright fascinating glimpse of XP in action for a small real-world project. Short and to the point, yet filled with plenty of real details, this book can show you what works and what doesn't when it comes to using one of today's hottest approaches to successful programming.

Like today's reality TV shows, this title walks you through a real software project in real time. After introducing the reader to the basics of the XP software method (using such shibboleths as paired programming, lightweight documentation, continual refactoring, and the like), the book jumps right in with an actual project built with Java servlets and JDBC. First, the authors disclose their software design for retooling a Web site with login and security features. The scope of this project is necessarily really small, but the win is that the authors go into real detail as to how it is designed and implemented. (While most titles on software engineering hedge on the details, this book gives you the inside scoop on actual design decisions and even problems encountered along the way.)

The authors cover the design process where customer "stories" are partitioned off into deliverables (small ones are called "iterations," which are combined into larger "releases"). The authors give you sample project estimation for how long it will take for each step. They provide the details of the code that does the work for each step, along with sample automated tests. (In XP, code is not "accepted" by clients until it can be verified with tests.) The authors also show off how their initial estimates sometimes went wrong. (Most readers will be struck that almost in all cases, initial estimates for programming time are overestimated by the authors.) However, they do share a significant snag in the process of a typical miscommunication with their client about promised functionality, which is sure to resonate with many readers. By the end of the book, they share their final thoughts on what works and what doesn't in XP, along with some advice for "scaling" XP onto larger projects and teams.

Candid, concise, (and a very interesting read), Extreme Programming in Practice gives valuable insight into today's XP. Whether or not you are evaluating XP for your shop or just want to see what all the fuss is about, this text provides an excellent glimpse into the advantages of XP for creating robust software within budget and on time. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Quick overview of Extreme Programming (XP) The XP process: planning, iterations, and releases Developing "stories" with stakeholders Case study for a Web application (including logon and security features) Prioritizing stories and features Team velocity defined Iterations and tasks (staffing and planning) Writing tests (including using proxies to simulate database activity) XP and refactoring "Working backwards" Infrastructure versus code that works right now Communication between customers and developers Steering Scaling small projects with XP to larger projects Sample stories, code, tests, and project-planning documents Hints for successful adoption of XP in real projects