 Iterative Development adds agility
to the development process. Divide your development schedule into about a dozen iterations of 1 to 3 weeks in length.
Keep the iteration length constant through out the project. This is the heart beat of your project. It is this
constant that makes measuring progress and planning simple and reliable in XP.
Don't schedule your programming
tasks in advance. Instead have an iteration planning meeting at the beginning
of each iteration to plan out what will be done. Just-in-time planning is an easy
way to stay on top of changing user
requirements.
It is also against the rules to
look ahead and try to implement anything that it is not scheduled for this iteration.
There will be plenty of time to implement that functionality when it becomes the most important story in the release plan.
Take your iteration deadlines seriously!
Track your progress during an iteration. If it looks like you will not finish all of your tasks then call another
iteration planning meeting, re-estimate, and remove some of the tasks. |
Concentrate your effort on completing the most important tasks as chosen by your customer, instead of having several
unfinished tasks chosen by the developers.
It may seem silly if your iterations
are only one week long to make a new plan, but it pays off in the end. By planning out each iteration as if it
was your last you will be setting yourself up for an on-time delivery of your product. Keep your projects heart
beating loud and clear.
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