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| <org.eclipse.epf.uma:PracticeDescription xmi:version="2.0" |
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| name="new_practice,_ycm9gGZBEdqvwYzpSSc2Nw" guid="-AS84xtg2NOXfrqA6eVRzMQ" changeDate="2005-12-06T05:20:39.800-0500"> |
| <mainDescription><h3>
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| Description
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| </h3>
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| <p>
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| The assumption in XP is that software development is not a sprint but a marathon. While a sprinter will easily beat a
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| marathon runner over a very short distance, the marathon runner will always win in the long run. Consistently working
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| overtime will destroy the team, the design, and eventually the product. It creates an environment that makes it
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| impossible to do high quality work. People make more mistakes because they are tired (not to mention their low morale),
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| causing bugs that require a lot of time to fix down the line. The end result is that it slows everything and everyone
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| down.
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| </p>
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| <p>
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| Continuous overtime can be a symptom of a deeper problem that is not being addressed. Perhaps the process is too broken
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| to be fixed by working more. The rule in XP is that, if the team has to do more than one consecutive week of overtime,
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| it should reassess the situation and start rethinking the plan. Overtime is OK if you need to get to the end of an
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| iteration or a release, but it should always be an exception rather than the rule.
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| </p>
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| <p>
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| Sustainable pace is about fostering a team that can produce a consistent amount of work over a long period of time.
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| </p>
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| <h3>
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| Benefits
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| </h3>
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| <ul>
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| <li>
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| <b>Improved predictability</b>: plans become more accurate.
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| </li>
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| <li>
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| <b>Improved product quality</b>: programmers have the time to do the right thing.
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| </li>
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| <li>
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| <b>Improved job satisfaction</b>: programmers can enjoy their work with as little stress as possible.
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| </li>
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| <li>
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| <b>Reduced time to market</b>: less time required to fix bad code and rotting design.
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| </li>
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| </ul></mainDescription> |
| </org.eclipse.epf.uma:PracticeDescription> |