As a team begins to use the XP Practices, the coach must prepare the team to use the practices effectively.

This includes the following:

• Teach the team about XP and ensure that the team has a common understanding of the practices.
• Facilitate the team's decision as to how aggressively the transition to the new practices will be.
• Facilitate a team activity to identify what obstacles they will face in using the practices effectively. Ensure that the team has a plan to overcome those obstacles.
• Facilitate a team activity to identify what constraints will require adaptation of the practices. Ensure that these adaptations are understood by the Whole Team.

Because there are many roles in the team, a coach needs to have a good understanding of the all different activities in the process. In some cases, there might be more than one coach on a team to address needs. There might be a coach for the developer team and one for the customer team, for example.

Use external expertise as necessary to ensure the team starts with a strong base of knowledge on which to succeed.