Extreme Programming Principles

Five core values that guide our work:

• Communication - Choose the most effective method
• Simplicity - Do the simplest thing that works
• Feedback - Get it early, get it often
• Courage - Make changes when needed
• Respect - For teammates and craft

Change is Inevitable

Everything changes:

• Requirements change
• Design changes
• Business changes
• Technology changes
• Team changes

The problem isn't change - it's our inability to cope.

We Embrace Change

When tech evolves fast, our structure and ways of work must follow.

"Ask my colleagues, I change everything all the time"

• New tools? We experiment
• Better process? We adapt
• Team growing? We restructure
• Market shifts? We pivot

Key Principles

• Business Value First - No work for its own sake
• Team Care - If team members don't care about each other, nothing works
• Team Diversity - Different perspectives make teams stronger
• Problem Solving - Often caused by lack of communication
• Fear Management - How you handle fear determines success

Part 1: How We Organize Work

The Problem

• How do you build a big product with many people?
• How do you know what to work on?
• How do you avoid stepping on each other's toes?

Our Approach: Agile & Sprints

• Agile = Work in small chunks with frequent feedback
• Sprint = 2 weeks where we plan, build, and deliver

Questions for you:

• What happens if you try to build everything at once?
• How do you break a big feature into smaller pieces?
• What if priorities change mid-project?

Our Tools

• Asana - Where tasks live (like a to-do list for the whole team)
• Sprint Planning - Every 2 weeks, we decide what to build
• Daily Standup - Quick check-in: What did I do? What am I doing? Any blockers?

Part 2: Daily Realities

It's Not Just Code

• Context switching between tasks
• Debugging mysterious issues
• Helping teammates get unblocked
• Clarifying requirements

What do you think takes more time - writing new code or fixing existing problems?

Interruptions Are Normal

• Slack messages from teammates
• "Quick questions" that aren't quick
• Production issues that need immediate attention
• Meeting requests

How do you think we balance focused work time with being helpful to the team?

When Things Go Wrong

• Production is down at 3 PM
• Feature doesn't work as expected
• Tests are failing for unclear reasons
• Dependencies break overnight

What strategies would help when everything breaks at once?

Continuous Learning

• Technology changes constantly
• Reading documentation, tutorials, AI assistants
• Learning from senior developers
• Trial and error (lots of error!)

What would you do if you encounter a technology you've never seen before?

Part 3: Team Collaboration & Culture

We're All in This Together

• No one knows everything
• Everyone makes mistakes
• Asking questions is encouraged
• Teaching others helps everyone grow

What kind of environment helps you learn best?

Different Communication Styles

• Slack: Quick questions, updates, memes
• Voice/Video: Complex discussions, debugging together
• In-person: Whiteboarding, planning, coffee chats
• Async: Documentation, detailed explanations

When would you choose a 5-minute call over a long Slack thread?

Handling Disagreements

• Different approaches to the same problem
• Balancing "perfect" vs "good enough"
• Time pressures vs quality concerns
• Focus on the problem, not the person

What factors would you consider when choosing between solutions?

Remote vs In-Person

• Flexible work arrangements
• Staying connected across time zones
• Building relationships digitally
• Knowing when to be in the office together

What are the pros and cons of remote work for collaboration?

Work Management

• Confluence - Documentation (how things work)

Development

• Git - Version control (tracking code changes)
• AWS - Cloud services (where our apps run)
• IDE/Editors - Where we write code

Design & Planning

• Figma - Design mockups
• Miro - Brainstorming, diagrams, roadmaps

Part 5: The Reality

Every Day is Different

• Some days: Deep focus sessions on complex problems
• Other days: Constant collaboration and problem-solving
• Always: Balancing individual work with teamwork
• Team spans multiple office locations

How do you think we stay productive with so much variety?

How We Stay Connected

• Slack: Ongoing communication throughout the day
• Slack Huddles: Quick voice discussions when needed
• Google Meets: Planned sessions and collaborative work
• In-person time: Office collaboration and team building

What do you think makes team collaboration successful?

The Daily Flow

• Start by checking what's happening with the team
• Find opportunities for focused, uninterrupted work
• Be available when teammates need support
• Adapt between different types of tasks
• Handle urgent issues as they arise
• Enjoy productive flow states when they happen

What sounds most appealing to you about this flow?

Key Takeaways

1. It's about people first - teamwork makes everything work
2. Structure helps creativity - sprints, planning, clear goals
3. Learning never stops - technology and teams evolve
4. Communication is crucial - more than you might expect
5. Flexibility within process - adapt to what the situation needs
6. Everyone contributes differently - diverse skills and perspectives
7. Work-life balance matters - sustainable pace for long-term success

Questions for You

1. What surprised you about the day-to-day reality?
2. How does this compare to what you imagined?
3. What aspect would you want to experience first-hand?
4. What concerns do you have about the collaborative nature?
5. What opportunities for growth do you see?

Next Steps

• Ask questions anytime - seriously, we love questions
• Shadow different team members for a day
• Sit in on sprint planning or retrospectives
• Join informal coffee chats and team discussions
• Start thinking about which team/project interests you