Where Should I Start on XP123.com?

Updated

Start with the Start Here section if you want a topic overview, or jump to Most Popular Articles if you already know what you're looking for. XP123 is Bill Wake's personal site of essays on Extreme Programming (XP), Agile, Lean, Scrum, and related software topics — it is not a structured course, so the best entry point depends on whether you want orientation or a specific technique.

If you're new to the site or to XP

Use the Start Here page. It links to overview pages for particular areas of software development, including:

  • Comics
  • Test-Driven Development (TDD)
  • Refactoring
  • User Stories

These are the fastest way to get oriented before diving into individual essays.

If you want the most-read material

The Most Popular Articles section collects the pieces other readers reach for most:

Article What it covers
TDD is an Alchemy Trick: Points and Partitions A way of thinking about test-driven design
INVEST in Good Stories The I, N, V, E, S, T criteria for user stories
Twenty Ways to Split Stories Techniques for breaking large stories into smaller ones
XP on One Page A one-page summary of Extreme Programming
Scrum on a Page A one-page summary of Scrum
Set-Based Concurrent Engineering Set-based design and engineering
Room and Charts Gallery A contributed gallery of team rooms and charts
Scrum from Hell A widely cited essay on dysfunctional Scrum
Test-First Challenge A practice exercise in test-first development

There are also resource hubs for Refactoring, TDD, Set-Based Design, Coaching, and Testing.

If you want a quick reference rather than an essay

Go straight to XP on One Page or Scrum on a Page. These condense each methodology onto a single page, which is useful when you need a refresher or want to explain a concept to someone else.

If you're following Bill Wake's other work

The site also links to his comics series, his Twitch stream (schedule announced on Mastodon, typically 9 am EST / 2 pm UTC, Monday–Thursday), and his current project — a breadboard for learning about compilers. Older episodes are archived on Twitch.

Some material that used to live on XP123 has moved elsewhere:

  • billwake.com — Bill's posts unrelated to agile software
  • jobaids.info — material on how to create job aids

Who runs the site

Bill Wake is an independent consultant and teacher who has worked with XP and Agile across domains including financial, biotechnology, and publishing. He is the author of Extreme Programming Explored, Refactoring Workbook, Design Patterns in Java (with Steve Metsker), and Refactoring in Ruby (with Kevin Rutherford). You can follow him on Mastodon at @[email protected].

The site also has a Reviews section, mostly book reviews. Note the disclosure on the site: if you buy a book through his link, he receives a small Amazon credit.