Realistic Test-Driven Development: Paying and Preventing Technical Debt

Are you considering implementing Test-Driven Development (TDD), or have you tried it and failed? If so, this class is for you. Rob Myers describes the basic mechanics and components of TDD. In addition, he explains the real long-term benefits to the individual, team, and organization of using this technique. Teams find that their defect rate is considerably lower (compared to no unit testing, or unit testing after coding). Even greater rewards are gained in future enhancements and releases. As developers build a “safety net” of automated tests around the growing product, the team can rapidly modify the design and add features required by changes in a dynamic market. The TDD tests guarantee that any defects introduced in those modifications are quickly detected. Rob shares first-person stories of how TDD provided astounding returns. Rob then explains what is required to implement TDD painlessly and professionally, and gives a brief demonstration to show the levels of detail, the emergent nature of the design, and the thought-processes that occur during TDD coding.