Kent Beck responds to a post about software project speed, arguing that the real lever for delivering sooner and cheaper is scope management, not simply applying time pressure. He contends that forcing teams to compress timelines without cutting scope creates perverse incentives: teams lie about progress, inflate estimates, and lose transparency. The real insight from XP, he argues, is that reducing scope generates earlier feedback, concentrates value, and keeps projects in control. Blaming 'slow' developers misattributes the problem — over-scoped projects are a management decision, not a developer failure.
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