Work no more than n hours a week as a rule. Never work overtime a second week in a row. Work at a pace that can be sustained forever -- avoid burn-out.
Why is this a "best practice"?
- is 80 hours/week a best practice?
- is excessive overtime a best practice?
- is mandatory overtime a best practice?
- is voluntary overtime a best practice? (yes)
- sustainable -- don't get burnt-out
- work every day refreshed
If this is a "best practice", then why don't people do it?
- bad commitments must be kept
- don't know how to manage risk, expectations, scope, commitments
- don't know how to build reliable schedules
- start-up syndrome?
How is it any different if done "eXtreme"?
- go home when/before start feeling tired
- come in every day recharged, refreshed
What other practices support this practice?
- IterativeDevelopment? and ThePlanningGame creates a rhythm; the priorities allow high-value to be produced even at a sustainable pace
- CollectiveOwnership
- allows everyone to work on the same goals;
- not solely dependent on any one person for anything;
- fewer critical paths
What other practices are supported by this one?
- makes SmallReleases possible
- self reinforcing -- keeping us fresh keeps us going top-speed
- clear thinking begets SimpleDesign
- being rested decreases occurrence of mistakes while Refactoring
- we have to be rested for PairProgramming
How do I get started?
- It's just something you have to make yourself do. If you can do the rest of XP well, then this will be easier.
Next: OnSiteCustomer
-- AndrewFuqua - 31 Mar 2002
