XP

The methodology is focused on small but highly-expert (Senior) teams of up to 10-12 people, which must perform the most complex, technological and demanding quality projects.

We recommend this methodology for projects such as game engines, AI models, framework kernels, compilers, etc. The methodology is excellent wherever there are relatively small but technologically complex projects, or parts of them.

Certain XP practices have been adopted by the developer community around the world and are successfully applied in the vast majority of existing projects.

List of XP practices:
1. Planning game: The development team and the customer interact to define project requirements and schedule them for short periods of time.
2. Small releases: The project is released in small increments, each adding new functionality to the project.
3. Metaphor: Using images and metaphors to help the team and the customer better understand the project and its goals.
4. Simple design: Simple and clear design that is easy to maintain and modify.
5. Testing: Automated testing at all levels of development (from unit to integration) and intensive manual testing.
6. Pair programming: Developers work in pairs on the same task to improve code quality and performance.
7. Collective ownership: Each team member can change any part of the project code which allows them to respond quickly to changes in requirements.
8. Continuous integration: Frequent integration of new code into the main body of the project to avoid conflicts and ensure rapid bug fixing.
9. 40-hour work week: The team works on a project for only 40 hours a week, to keep productivity and avoid overloading.
10. On-site customer: The customer is present in the development office to ensure better communication and quicker decision making.
11. Sustainable pace: The team works at a stable and steady pace to avoid exhaustion and maintain high productivity on a long term basis.
12. Coding standards: Coding standards and guidelines that help the team maintain code consistency and quality.
13. Refactoring: Improving code by simplifying, improving performance and reducing complexity.
14. Whole team: Each team member works together on a common goal rather than at different stages of the development process or in different parts of the project. Each team member has different duties and responsibilities, but they all work together toward a common goal.
15. Informative workspace: The developer's workspace should be informative, comfortable, and help them work.
16. Energized work: The team works in a pleasant and motivating environment with comfortable working conditions. For example, comfortable temperature, access to drinking water, natural light, healthy food, etc. This helps to reduce fatigue and increase productivity.
17. Iteration demo: Every development cycle ends with a demonstration of the results to the client. During the demo, the team receives feedback from the client, which helps clarify requirements and understanding of the task.
18. Slack: Having free time in the schedule of team members helps to avoid excessive busyness and stress, as well as gives the opportunity to relax, chat with colleagues and tune in to work.
19. System metaphor: Using a common metaphor allows the entire team to understand the project from one perspective. The metaphor helps to describe and document the project and facilitates communication between developers and clients.
20. Customer tests: The team develops tests that verify that the product meets customer requirements. This helps to ensure that the product meets the customer's needs and works correctly.
21. Root cause analysis: When problems occur, the team conducts a root cause analysis and looks at all aspects that may have led to the problem. This avoids repeating mistakes and increases the quality of the team's work.
22. Incremental design: Product development takes place gradually and in small increments. This avoids large errors and allows the team to react quickly to changes in customer requirements.
23. Real customer involvement: The customer is directly involved in the product development process and gives feedback to the team. This helps the team understand customer requirements and work accordingly.
24. Shared understanding is the practice of ensuring that all project participants have a common understanding of the project goals and objectives. To achieve this, XP suggests using various tools, such as collective discussion and demonstration of results, shared learning, and creation of a common project model and architecture.
25. Automated acceptance tests are automated tests that verify whether products and features meet customer requirements and project specifications. They allow you to quickly detect errors and deviations from requirements, and quickly make changes to the product. These practices help improve code quality and increase customer confidence in the product.