The 4 Circles of Extreme Programming

When I first learned eXtreme Programming (XP), my mentors introduced it using four circles.

I really liked how the four circles made it easy to remember the XP practices, and I liked how it made them easier to remember. This post is a walkthrough of the four circles of XP.

The Four Circles of XP

The four circles of XP:

Coding Circle
Team Circle
Process Circle
Product Circle

The four circles group the XP practices in a simple way:

Coding Circle – Pair Programming, Refactoring, Testing
Team Circle – Coding Standards, Collective Ownership, Continuous Integration
Process Circle – 40-hour Week, Metaphor, Simple Design, Short Releases
Product Circle – On-site Customer, Planning Game

For an explanation of the XP practices see XP Practices (Wikipedia).

The Four Circles of XP at a Glance

Here is a view of the XP practices at a glance:

The Coding Circle

The Coding Circle includes Pair-Programming, Refactoring, and Testing. Here is a view of the Coding Circle highlighted:

The Team Circle

The Team Circle includes Coding Standards, Collective Ownership, and Continuous Integration. Here is a view of the Team Circle highlighted:

The Process Circle

The Process Circle includes 40-Hour Week, Metaphor, Short Releases, and Simple Design. Here is a view of the Process Circle highlighted: