Kent Beck

Kent Beck
Beck at a workshop in 2006
Born1961 (age 64–65)
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationUniversity of Oregon
Known forExtreme programming, Software design patterns, JUnit
Scientific career
FieldsSoftware engineering
WorkplacesGusto
Websitekentbeck.com

Kent Beck (born 1961) is an American software engineer, author, and consultant best known for creating test-driven development (TDD), founding extreme programming (XP), and co-creating the JUnit testing framework. He was one of the seventeen original signatories of the Agile Manifesto, the founding document for agile software development.

Biography

Beck attended the University of Oregon between 1979 and 1987, receiving B.S. and M.S. degrees in computer and information science.

In 1996 Beck was hired to work on the Chrysler Comprehensive Compensation System, the corporation's payroll system. Beck in turn brought in Ron Jeffries. At the time, Chrysler was using the waterfall method of software programming and the development process was running behind deadlines. Beck directed his team to adopt a different approach: they divided the project into smaller tasks, programed in pairs, and frequently tested and updated their code. Beck called the approach extreme programming (XP), developing 12 principles and publishing a book called Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change in 1999. Ultimately, the project was not completed, but it showed the viability of the XP style of programming. Some of the principles of XP were later included in agile methodology. Test-driven development (TDD) is an important element of XP. Beck published Test Driven Development: By Example in 2003. According to Beck, he "rediscovered" TDD in an older programming book.

Beck released JUnit, a Java testing framework, in 2000 with Erich Gamma.

In February 2001, Beck was among seventeen software practitioners who gathered in Snowbird, Utah, and signed the Agile Manifesto — a statement of values and principles intended to make software development more efficient and provide an alternative to heavyweight planning-driven development methodologies. Beck was a primary author of the manifesto's emphasis on individuals and interactions over processes and tools, and on responding to change over following a plan.[citation needed]

Beck worked at Facebook between 2011 and 2018. In 2019, Beck joined Gusto as a software fellow and coach, where he coached engineering teams as they build out payroll systems for small businesses.

Publications

Books

Selected papers

References

  1. 1 2 3 Copeland, Lee (December 3, 2001). "Extreme Programming". Computerworld. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  2. ↑ Beck, Kent; Gamma, Erich (July 1998). "Test Infected: Programmers Love Writing Tests". Java Report. 3 (7): 37–50.
  3. ↑ Beck, Kent. "Kent Beck". LinkedIn. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Meet the influential programmer who's helping $3.8 billion Gusto make sure that its software always stays ahead of the times". Business Insider. September 4, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Highsmith, Jim, ed. (February 18, 2024). Agile Software Development Ecosystems. Addison-Wesley Professional. pp. 166–167. ISBN 978-0-201-76043-9.
  6. 1 2 3 Xu, Tammy (March 9, 2022). "Extreme Programming: A Deep Dive". Built In. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  7. ↑ "What Is Test Driven Development (TDD)? A Guide". Built In. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Smalley, Ian; Schneider, Josh (July 3, 2025). "What is Test-Driven Development (TDD)?". IBM. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Java at 20: How it changed programming forever". Computerworld. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Kent Beck Says Tech Has a Compassion Problem". Built In. August 19, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2026.