Chapter 3. Values, Principles, and Practices

What does it take to clearly communicate a new way of thinking about and doing software development? You can learn the basic techniques of gardening quickly from a book, but that doesn't make you a gardener. My friend Paul is a master gardener. I dig and plant and water and weed, but I am not a master gardener.

What are the differences between us? First, Paul knows more techniques than I do, and he's better at the techniques we both know. Technique matters because if you don't dig and plant things, you certainly aren't gardening. Call this level of knowledge and understanding practices, things you actually do. Practices are the things you do day-to-day. Specifying practices is useful because they are clear and objective. You either write a test before you change code or you don't. The practices are also useful because they give you a place to start. You can start writing tests before changing code, and gain benefit from doing so, long before you understand software development in a deeper way.