Xp Glossary

A Glossary of ExtremeProgramming Terms & Acronyms

Please keep entries in alphabetical order. Please keep discussion on the linked-to pages.


AcceptanceTest
a test written by the customer, (or QC on the customer's behalf) that tests the entire system to ensure that a specific piece of functionality is present and functions correctly.

AT
acronym for Acceptance Test

BDUF
"BigDesignUpFront"; part of WaterFall.

BUFD
Big, Up-Front Design. Variation on BDUF.

Business
???

Customer
(The literature is thin on this one) The primary stakeholder (on-site, in-the-lab) of the system undergoing the XP methodology. Provides the final acceptance criteria for any behavior in the system. Sometimes a team instead of one person. Less optimally, but often likely, this is a Business Analyst who, while they may be a Domain Expert, does not have the final say, but acts as the advocate of the real Customer who is not on-site. (Beware the Customer who knows the Business but does not have the Final Say).

DBC
acronym for DesignByContract.

DTSTTCPW
"DoTheSimplestThingThatCouldPossiblyWork" A general XP heuristic on how complicated a design should be.

DRY
"Don'tRepeatYourself" From ThePragmaticProgrammer, a more general version of OAOO.

EngineeringTask
UserStory gets broken down into these smaller fragments by the developers.

GangOfFour
ErichGamma, RichardHelm, RalphJohnson, and JohnVlissides. Authors of the classic book "Design Patterns". See DesignPatternsBook.

GoF
Abbreviation for "Gang of Four".

GreenBar
What JavaUnit displays when all UnitTests run successfully. The bar is green, the code is clean.

Green Book
PlanningExtremeProgramming by KentBeck and MartinFowler.

OAOO
"OnceAndOnlyOnce" The state of a well designed program -- it says everything that currently needs to be said precisely once. Compare with DRY.

PEP
acronym for PlanningExtremeProgramming (the green book).

Pink Book
ExtremeProgrammingInstalled by RonJeffries, AnnAnderson, and ChetHendrickson.

PP
acronym for PairProgramming.

RUP
acronym for RationalUnifiedProcess.

Spike
a quick (typically minutes or hours) exploration by coding of an area the development team lacks confidence in. The spike is concluded when you learn what you needed to learn. So-called because a spike is "end to end, but very thin", like driving a spike all the way through a log. See SpikeSolution, ArchitecturalSpike, SpikeDescribed.

TDD
"TestDrivenDevelopment"

TestInfected
When you can't even go pee unless you have a GreenBar.

TETCPB
"TestEverythingThatCouldPossiblyBreak" I haven't seen the acronym in common usage. Reference?

UnitTest
a test that tests a single class, or a small cluster of classes in isolation.

UserStory
Broad description of a feature, created by the customer, estimated by developers, fits on a note card.

UT
acronym for UnitTest.

White Book
ExtremeProgrammingExplained by KentBeck.

XPE
ExtremeProgrammingExplained by KentBeck (the white book).

XpValues
Communication, Simplicity, Feedback, and Courage.

YAGNI
"YouArentGonnaNeedIt", said by XP coaches when developers get into overly baroque design territory.


Please keep entries in alphabetical ord er. Please keep discussion on the linked to pages.


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EditText of this page (last edited March 29, 2005)
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