Kent On Ward On Sustainable Pace

The story that brought work hours home to me was one Ward tells. The C++ team was working nights and weekends, the Smalltalk team went home (tired) at 5 and rested all weekend. Management wasn't happy with the results of either team, and pressured the Smalltalkers to work more hours. Ward's response, "We would if it would help."

Encapsulated in that short statement is a whole book's worth of ideas:

The team is committed
The team is aware of their process
The team is productive, and confident of their productivity
The leadership on the team is prepared not to accept quick fixes that demonstrate activity instead of actual progress, even at the risk of their jobs

...and I could go on and on. In short, this is the spirit I hope I have the confidence to display. Not, "We're XPers so we refuse to work more hours," but, "We're committed to doing the very best for the success of this project and the organization of which we are all a part, and even in emotionally difficult times we strive to keep the entire picture in view." --KentBeck on the XpMailingList