Social perspective of software development methods: The case of the prisoner dilemma and extreme programming

Abstract

One of the main dilemmas with which software development teams face is how to choose a software development method that suits the team as well as the organization. This article suggests a theory that may help in this process. Specifically, Extreme Programming (XP) is analyzed within the well known framework of the prisoner dilemma. We suggest that such an analysis may explain in what situations XP may fit for implementation and, when it is used, the way it may support software development processes. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.