BDD [Overview]

30 Second Overview.

One of the main disciplines the teams i work with is Behaviour Driven Development this approach to software design was introduced to the community by Dan North a number of years ago and although it has not gained the following its sister discipline of TDD (Test Driven Development) has gained, those that practise BDD tend to produce a far more accurate representation of the Business Analysts vision and thus the customers dream.

Within a BDD Test / Spec we aim to use common English language sentence to describe the functionality that we need to be produced our scope is a business stripe though the technical layers rather than a method or object as in TDD.

Brief Presentation on some of the BDD frameworks in common use: https://www.box.net/shared/2tfmm2ubgo

Some of the advantages

• Requirements are the driving force behind the tests , which in turn drives the code
• The technique trims away code waste
• The technique creates a pit of success for the developer
• The technique encourages other good practises such as contract first development and emergent design principals.
• Helps developers understand what ‘Done’ really is for the story

Some of the challenges

• The technique requires a lot of discipline across the team
• The technique takes away some of the freedom from developers
• The technique doesn’t work in environments where P & P , SOLID and best practises are not followed.
• The technique required a ‘BA’ role to be performed within the team
• The BA must be very explicit in there requirements and child acceptance criteria, also it is helpful if they supply wireframes and such like to augment the requirement statements