Project managers on an XP team facilitate communication inside the team and coordinate communication with customers, suppliers, and the rest of the organization. Project managers act as team historians, reminding the team how much progress it has made. Project managers need to be creative in packaging the project's information for presentation to executives and peers. To remain accurate, the information changes frequently; which gives project managers the challenge of communicating changes helpfully.
Planning in XP is an activity, not a phase. Project managers are responsible for keeping plans synchronized with reality. They are often in the best position to drive improvement in the planning process itself. Teams may start spending a day on planning every week; but with continual improvement, they can get better results in less time. The best teams accurately plan a week's worth of work in an hour, but achieving this efficiency requires practice.
Information flows both ways, into and out of the team. Project managers facilitate communication coming into the team from customers, sponsors, suppliers, and users. To facilitate communication, they introduce the right person on the team to the right person outside the team as needed, rather than act as a communication bottleneck. Project managers also facilitate communication within the team, increasing cohesiveness and confidence. The power gained from being an effective facilitator exceeds that of being a controller of even important information.