Extreme Programming (XP) is a lightweight engineering approach that grew in the 1990s. It was popularised by Kent Beck as a way to make teams more responsive to change through short iterations, continuous feedback, and disciplined engineering habits. It is a pragmatic, human-centred software practice that prioritises simple design, frequent feedback, and close collaboration, so teams can deliver working software more quickly. It could be argued that all modern software development practices have some roots in XP.
XP emphasises a small set of practices that work together to reduce risk. Key practices include pair programming, test-driven development, and continuous integration. Simple design to avoid unnecessary complexity, and frequent small releases to keep feedback fast. These practices are deliberately social as much as technical because the aim is to make quality a shared, everyday activity rather than something done at the end.
XP helped shape the thinking behind the Agile Manifesto by showing that lightweight, people-focused practices could replace heavyweight processes and documentation. Several XP proponents were part of the group that drafted the manifesto in 2001. The influence is visible in how modern agile teams treat iteration, collaboration and quality as inseparable parts of delivery rather than optional extras. In modern software development, XP’s fingerprints are everywhere.
XP emphasises a small set of practices that work together to reduce risk. Key practices include pair programming, test-driven development, and continuous integration. Simple design to avoid unnecessary complexity, and frequent small releases to keep feedback fast. These practices are deliberately social as much as technical because the aim is to make quality a shared, everyday activity rather than something done at the end.
XP helped shape the thinking behind the Agile Manifesto by showing that lightweight, people-focused practices could replace heavyweight processes and documentation. Several XP proponents were part of the group that drafted the manifesto in 2001. The influence is visible in how modern agile teams treat iteration, collaboration and quality as inseparable parts of delivery rather than optional extras. In modern software development, XP’s fingerprints are everywhere.
