CASE STUDIES

Extreme Programming at Sabre

eXtreme programming (XP) was first introduced by Kent Beck when he was the project leader on a large, long-term project to rewrite Chrysler Corporation's payroll system. He later outlined this development methodology in a book titled Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change. Some of the main concepts of XP include using small teams, using simple code, reviewing it frequently, testing it early and often, and working no more than a 40 hour work week. XP is often referred to as a lightweight methodology because it does not emphasize lengthy requirements definition and extensive documentation.

Instead, XP focuses on having the end user or customer develop user stories that describe what the new system must do. Beck suggests that project teams have no more than 12 developers working in pairs that work side by side on a single assignment. He believes that this approach leads to better quality code that takes less time to test and debug. Close communication between the developers and users/customers is key, as the user stories provide a basis for prioritizing the applications’ most important functionality and estimating code releases that are tested and shared among the development team.