Conclusion
Although this chapter has not focused on anything that is special to .NET, it has introduced you to a technique you should be able to use whenever you are developing software. From the ideas presented, you have hopefully gained an understanding of why XP is often quoted as being a methodology that requires a large dose of self-discipline. You should also have gained some insight as to the value of working closely with your customers to define exactly what they want.
A valuable input that I have received when running through these task breakdown exercises in the classroom is that developers often jump straight into breaking down the problem with the idea of coding the entire solution themselves. The more experienced developers tend to do a search on the Web for any existing tools or components that do some (or even all) of the work for them. Then they can think about how to break down the rest of the work.
I hope you can see the importance of some of the key values emerging from the content of this chapter, with communication, feedback, simplicity, and respect all being evident through the dialogues presented. Now you have to find the courage to do it yourself at work.
1 I have worked with more than 100 developers in the past two years while consulting with software development teams.