Test Driven Development For Software Developers

Introduction

In the current trend of software development, the developers are also taking part in testing activities; not the final testing or QA support provided by the development team. In the software industry the client is looking for more quality, because the end user of each software application needs a quality product, so if you compromise with quality then the project will be closed and competitor may take up the deal.

What a developer should do, whenever application codes are developed, is test at the final stage and when they find some issue try to fix the issues and this phase is usually called “Bug Fix Phase” and we normally charge the client. Nowadays client questions are not ready to pay for the Bug fixing phase since the issues are created by a development organization, so everyone is looking for the trend of “FBQC – First Best Quality Code” concept.

Whenever a developer codes they are responsible to give their Best quality of code in the first time of writing code and minimize code rework or bug fixing by 99 percent -- can this be achieved? Is that your question?

My answer is “YES”, when you do test at each and every point of code then there won’t be any chances for bugs or quality issues.

Source: torontopubliclibrary.com

Note: “FBQC” – The Terminology is coined by me and I implemented it in our project for better quality in my organization.

Is there any Process for FBQC Concept?

Yes, there is a process which is usually suggested in the Agile Methodology of software development and that is called “TDD - Test-driven development”.

This will help to drive your software development with quality check points in each point of time and make sure the code is error free.

How is this possible, to check for Quality each moment?

Yes, many people won’t believe when I say, even most of you feel it's a joke, let me briefly give an example and then at end of that example you say if that is possible or not.

Please draw a line which is perfectly straight using pencil

You may feel this is what a perfect circle that you can draw to maximum perfection, but for a client “circle” is actually the rounded and smooth edged one.

Source: brianlemay.com

Please draw a circle, but use a perfect circle using pencil

Now, I am using same Paper and Pencil to draw, also using equipment [Compass], which confirms 100% quality in each moment of time.
Source: brianlemay.com

Now, can you accept the tool looks small but how it helped to make the result clear as per expectation, the effort may be less or more compared to free hand drawing however 100% quality is guaranteed, this is how the TDD can give you quality delivery if the process is followed perfectly.