XP QoW: The Customers get to Pick 3

I recently got around to reading Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change by Kent Beck. My wife had gotten it for me a year or two ago when she read a recommendation on Bram Cohen’s blog.  Bram is most notable for creating BitTorrent he recommedned the XP book, Peopleware and Non-Manipulative Selling.

Since it’s publishing in 2000 this book has caused a good amount of change in the software industry in the take of agile processes and adding things like Continuous Integration to traditional waterfall projects.

Once a week I’m going to post a quote from XP that I think is really important to consider when developing software.  The first is from the beginning of Chapter 4:

“…there are four variables in software development”

• Cost
• Time
• Quality
• Scope

 The way the software development game is played in this model is that external forces (customers, managers) get to pick the values of any three of the variables.  The development team gets to pick the resultant value of the fourth variable.”

Every project and development manager should read this full chapter before planning a project.  it’s only 5 pages so it only takes a few minutes.

Looks for more XP Quotes of the Week to be forthcoming.