ComparisonScaling Software Development - ZeroBlockers vs Extreme Programming (XP): Which product development framework is better for you?
There is no one-size-fits-all framework for software development. Each framework covers different parts of the process in different ways. We have compiled an overview of the key features and approaches of the Extreme Programming (XP) framework and ZeroBlockers to help you select the best framework for you.
ZeroBlockers vs Extreme Programming (XP): Overview
| Scroll | Idea Generation | Idea Evaluation | Business Case Creation | Business Case Approval | Plan | Analyse | Design | Develop | Test | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Programming (XP) | ||||||||||
| ZeroBlockers | Step Removed | Step Removed |
Feature comparison
ZeroBlockers
Effective products with empowered autonomous teams
Framework
- Process
The core way of working.
- Discover opportunities, design and evaluate solutions, then deliver in very small iterations.
- Planning
How teams prepare for the work to be done.
- Team conducts research, identifies opportunities, devises experiments and runs short experiments to evaluate solutions.
- Execution
How teams deliver on their plans.
- The team work cross-functionally together on all tasks, using a very small WIP to avoid context switching.
- Testing
How teams ensure quality.
- Guidelines for continuous automated unit and integration testing.
Extreme Programming (XP)
Agile software development methodology focused on responsiveness to customers.
Framework
- Process
The core way of working.
- Iterative approach with regular feedback loops to ensure that the team is building the right thing.
- Planning
How teams prepare for the work to be done.
- Light release planning and more detailed iteration planning.
- Execution
How teams deliver on their plans.
- Pair programming, continuous integration and refactoring.
- Testing
How teams ensure quality.
- Guidelines for continuous automated unit and integration testing.
Core Differences
Framework
- Process
The core way of working.
- From idea to satisfied customers
versus
From solution stories to working software. - Planning
How teams prepare for the work to be done.
- Both frameworks advocate for iterative planning.
- Execution
How teams deliver on their plans.
- Research design and development working together
versus
development working together. - Testing
How teams ensure quality.
- Both frameworks focus on continuous integration and automated testing.
ZeroBlockers unapologetically copies a lot of the development practices from Extreme Programming (XP) so there is a lot of overlap particularly in the planning, execution and testing steps.
But XP was created by developers and there is a bit too much focus on the delivery aspects. ZeroBlockers assumes that we need to uncover the best solutions rather than be told what they are so there is a more end-to-end focus all the way from an idea to working software.
ZeroBlockers vs Extreme Programming (XP): Approach
Feature comparison
ZeroBlockers
Effective products with empowered autonomous teams
Efficiency
- Lead Time
The time from when you identify an opportunity until the software is in place.
- Lead time as a core metric coupled with strategies on how to break up requirements into releasable iterations.
- Controlling complexity
Complexity and dependencies increase as companies scale.
- Dependencies and blockers need to be removed as they always slow down delivery.
- Reducing Code Conflicts
Code merge conflicts increase as more teams operate on the same code base.
- Each Stream team has a completely independent code base so code merge conflicts do not occur.
Extreme Programming (XP)
Agile software development methodology focused on responsiveness to customers.
Efficiency
- Lead Time
The time from when you identify an opportunity until the software is in place.
- Rapid delivery is a core value. Work with customers to break up stories.
- Controlling complexity
Complexity and dependencies increase as companies scale.
- XP encourages continuous refactoring of code to reduce complexity.
- Reducing Code Conflicts
Code merge conflicts increase as more teams operate on the same code base.
- Small iterations reduce impact of dependencies.
Core Differences
Efficiency
- Lead Time
The time from when you identify an opportunity until the software is in place.
- Both frameworks focus on short lead times.
- Controlling complexity
Complexity and dependencies increase as companies scale.
- Strategies for removing dependencies
versus
more code base focused. - Reducing Code Conflicts
Code merge conflicts increase as more teams operate on the same code base.
- Both frameworks advocate for strategies for removing code conflicts.
There is a lot of overlap between the two frameworks because ZeroBlockers copies a lot of the practices.
But again, ZeroBlockers has a wider scope than XP as it also includes how to scale delivery across a large number of teams. This leads to differences in code ownership and a core focus on removing dependencies between teams.
Feature comparison
ZeroBlockers
Effective products with empowered autonomous teams
Effectiveness
- Solution Autonomy
Layers of sign off for solutions prevent teams from iterating quickly based on customer feedback.
- Teams decide on what features to build based on customer research and business objectives.
- Solution Validation
Most features fail to deliver the expected business outcomes. How can teams adapt as they deliver?
- Teams identify the assumptions behind their solutions and devise experiments to validate them before committing to building the feature.
- Accountability
What are the key KPIs that teams are measured on?
- Accountable for outcomes: The achievement of the Product Objectives.
Extreme Programming (XP)
Agile software development methodology focused on responsiveness to customers.
Effectiveness
- Solution Autonomy
Layers of sign off for solutions prevent teams from iterating quickly based on customer feedback.
- Customers present user stories. The team decides how to deliver the stories.
- Solution Validation
Most features fail to deliver the expected business outcomes. How can teams adapt as they deliver?
- Teams work continuously with customers validating the solution as they build.
- Accountability
What are the key KPIs that teams are measured on?
- Customer satisfaction based on regular customer interaction.
Core Differences
Effectiveness
- Solution Autonomy
Layers of sign off for solutions prevent teams from iterating quickly based on customer feedback.
- Teams decide on solutions
versus
teams decide on delivery of stories. - Solution Validation
Most features fail to deliver the expected business outcomes. How can teams adapt as they deliver?
- Both frameworks advocate for solutions to be validated by customers.
- Accountability
What are the key KPIs that teams are measured on?
- Measuring outcomes (impact of work)
versus
measuring satisfaction.
XP assumes that a customer can specify user stories that they need to achieve. This can work when replacing an existing process but it is very hard for new product development as every story is an assumption.
ZeroBlockers assumes that you cannot know how customers will react to new features until they have them in their hands. It is not fair to ask a business person to specify the outcome of a feature because we don't know. We all have ideas that sound great but few of them work. Therefore solution evaluation and iteration are integral parts of the process. We empower teams to identify the best solutions and then hold them accountable for outcomes.
Feature comparison
ZeroBlockers
Effective products with empowered autonomous teams
Sustainability
- Technical Debt
Technical debt can make software delivery unsustainable unless it is continuously paid down.
- Teams own code and are responsible for maintaining its quality.
- Continuous Improvement
There are always improvements that can be made. How do we ensure that teams are always improving?
- Teams have a clear vision of what good looks like. Zero blockers from idea to software.
- Burnout Prevention
Team motivation is critical for ensuring that momentum is maintained.
- Giving people autonomy over the way they solve problems reduces burnout.
Extreme Programming (XP)
Agile software development methodology focused on responsiveness to customers.
Sustainability
- Technical Debt
Technical debt can make software delivery unsustainable unless it is continuously paid down.
- XP encourages continuous refactoring of code.
- Continuous Improvement
There are always improvements that can be made. How do we ensure that teams are always improving?
- XP focuses on technical improvement through pair programming, refactoring and continuous integration.
- Burnout Prevention
Team motivation is critical for ensuring that momentum is maintained.
- Promotes a sustainable pace of development.
Core Differences
Sustainability
- Technical Debt
Technical debt can make software delivery unsustainable unless it is continuously paid down.
- Ownership of code and maintenance
versus
continuous refactoring. - Continuous Improvement
There are always improvements that can be made. How do we ensure that teams are always improving?
- End-to-end process improvements
versus
development focused improvements. - Burnout Prevention
Team motivation is critical for ensuring that momentum is maintained.
- Tackle the cause of burnout
versus
symptoms of burnout.
Shared code is subject to the tragedy of the commons. While XP advocates for refactoring there is a conflict with the need to hit tight deadlines. It is too common for teams to cut corners at the end.
ZeroBlockers works on the principle that you cannot hope that all teams will behave well. We remove the risk by giving each team their own code base.
Burnout isn't caused by challenging targets or high workloads. It is caused by being held to targets that you can't control such as an unrealistic deadline that was imposed on you. By giving teams autonomy over the way they achieve the product goals you are putting them in control. We can still set challenging stretch targets but, once teams can control how they achieve the targets, this can energise rather than cause burnout.
ZeroBlockers vs Extreme Programming (XP): Team & Events
Feature comparison
ZeroBlockers
Effective products with empowered autonomous teams
Team Level
- Roles
The roles involved in creating the products.
- UX Researcher
Designer
Developers
Business SMEs as needed - Events
The key activities that teams perform while building the product.
- Ad-hoc
Customer Interviews
Ideation
Solution Evaluation
User Story Mapping
Daily
Retrospective
Weekly
Weekly Business Review
1-on1's
Extreme Programming (XP)
Agile software development methodology focused on responsiveness to customers.
Team Level
- Roles
The roles involved in creating the products.
- Customer
Coach
Architect
Tracker
Development Team
QA - Events
The key activities that teams perform while building the product.
- Daily
Pair Programming
Ad-hoc
Planning Game
Core Differences
Team Level
- Roles
The roles involved in creating the products.
- Skills to identify, evaluate and build solutions
versus
skills to build solutions. - Events
The key activities that teams perform while building the product.
- Researching, validating and building solutions
versus
building features
XP was first specified in 1996 so it heavily reflects the dominant waterfall processes with the inclusion of a tracker (project manager) role and the separation between Architects, Developers and QA.
ZeroBlockers believes that the separation of thinkers (Architects) and doers (Developers) leads to problems because you need developers to be able to iterate quickly as feedback comes in. We don't want to introduce a sign off blocker.
Finally, XP advocates for trusting and empowering developers but there are no events or processes for teams to report progress so that they can reward that trust. ZeroBlockers includes a Weekly Business Review so teams can report on progress and continue to build trust with the Product Team.
ZeroBlockers vs Extreme Programming (XP): Implementation
Feature comparison
ZeroBlockers
Effective products with empowered autonomous teams
Implementation
- Buy In
The people you need committed to ensure a successful roll-out.
- Considerable changes are required across the business so buy-in is required at a senior level in IT, marketing, customer service and more.
- Training
The training and certification required for a successful implementation.
- ZeroBlockers provides a range of training and certifications for each role.
- Community & Support
The support available for implementing the framework.
- Large and growing community with documentation and resources.
Extreme Programming (XP)
Agile software development methodology focused on responsiveness to customers.
Implementation
- Buy In
The people you need committed to ensure a successful roll-out.
- Buy in required from IT leadership to give more authority to developers.
- Training
The training and certification required for a successful implementation.
- A number of training courses are available for each role in XP.
- Community & Support
The support available for implementing the framework.
- There is a large and active community for each role.
Core Differences
Implementation
- Buy In
The people you need committed to ensure a successful roll-out.
- Whole business buy-in
versus
IT buy-in - Training
The training and certification required for a successful implementation.
- Similar between frameworks
- Community & Support
The support available for implementing the framework.
- Similar between frameworks
XP is challenging to implement because it is scary for management to empower teams without a clear governance structure. Having said that a lot of the individual practices advocated by XP are becoming standards in development teams.
ZeroBlockers includes governance structures but there are also challenges in implementation. Implementing the framework involves changes across the business - because software is integral to our products today - not something just tacked on. This means you need more buy-in to get started. But you can start small - one product, one value stream. With over 10 years of UXDX content and case studies, there is also a large body of resources to assist in the rollout of the framework. It might be challenging to implement but it will deliver better outcomes.
