Software projects require the coordinated efforts of many people. The XP Practices leverage the ability of teams to collaborate and communicate about decisions and activities on the
project. Because team members are working together in an Open Workspace, interpersonal conflicts are visible, not hidden by the separation of the cubicles. One byproduct of
increased collaboration, communication, and feedback will be increased conflict. Unmanaged, this conflict may increase
the risk to the project. XP, as a process, does not try to solve all of the problems that occur on a software project,
it just enables the people to solve them.
The XP Coach must make sure these conflicts are managed. The coach must help the team develop an environment of
openness, where conflicts can be discussed and resolved. Conflicts left unresolved, like defects left undetected, are
usually more disruptive and ultimately costly to fix. At times, the coach will take ownership to resolve a conflict on
the team or across teams, but over time, the coach must ensure that the team is capable of resolving most conflicts on
their own.
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