eXtreme .NET: Introducing eXtreme Programming Techniques to .NET Developers [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Chapter 3. How to Solve Big Problems

This chapter examines how to better solve programming problems. The aim is to get tasks to a level where we can have some functionality accomplished at the end of every day. Then we do not have to be so concerned with the bigger-picture stuff while we solve today''s problems.

This chapter, like Chapter 1, is not specific to the .NET Framework. You can use these ideas in other development environments. We will be using the lessons learned from this chapter later on in this book. Be sure that you understand how to break down tasks and make time estimates before you jump ahead.

When mentoring development teams, I often encounter developers who do not (or cannot) break down a task into really small pieces of work that are achievable in a matter of a few hours or minutes. This is a skill that you need to learn. This chapter examines why it is important to have these small tasks, and shows how to break down some complex problems into simple easy-to-solve units of work. This chapter discusses XP practices that help us accomplish this task breakdown.