Lightweight Management – Taming the RoboCup Development Process

RoboCup projects can face a lack of progress and continuity. The teams change continuously and knowledge gets lost. The approach used in previous years is no longer valid due to rule changes and specialists leaving the team leave black boxes that no-one understands. This article presents the application of a recent software development technique called eXtreme Programming to the realm of RoboCup. Many common problems typical for teams of students seem to be solvable with this technique. It also gradually spreads out in professional software production companies. Students mastering it are of high use for their further career after having left the university. The strategy is being tested on a real RoboCup Mid-Size and an Aibo league project and produces very promising results. The approach makes it possible to modularize scientific knowledge into software that can be re-used. Both the scientist/expert, who has the knowledge, and the software development team benefit from this approach without much overhead on the project.