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When evaluating whether test first or test driven development is worthwhile I would encourage a holistic approach. What is the total cost to the organization fo
by 82unpluggd 15y ago
When evaluating whether test first or test driven development is worthwhile I would encourage a holistic approach. What is the total cost to the organization for the development, quality assurance, deployment and maintenance of the software? On its first release? Over its lifetime?
Carefully consider the alternatives. No testing? Manual testing? Automated UI testing? Test second?
On the softer side (and more difficult to measure) I ask development teams how test first affects their thinking. Do you converge on users' requirements more quickly or slowly?
Finally, recognize that programming is a hard skill to master. TDD is another skill on top of that one.
- ams6110 15y agoI don't think that a lot of people do realize that programming is a hard skill to master. Or at least, they keep trying to develop processes that will allow average-ability programmers to turn out exceptional quality software (TDD and various flavors of Agile being the current fad in this area). Bottom line is that to deliver great software you need a solid conceptual understanding of what it's supposed to do (i.e. good requirements analysis) and smart people to design and implement the software. By its nature, software development will never be reduced to assembly-line work that any warm body can do.
- auxbuss 15y agoThis is an excellent and concise statement of software development. I think, the best I've ever read. I don't think of TDD and Agile as being fads, though, but the best we have to date in an evolving process. It'll go on for decades yet. That last paragraph, though, is killer: Give great input to very smart people and it might result in a great result. Note the absence of ego. And people, never forget that all software spends 99.999% of its life in maintenance. Be prepared.