tdd

Test-driven development guides software design by enforcing a failing test before implementation, anchoring code structure to verifiable behavior. This discipline iterates through RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycles, ensuring tests dictate the minimal code needed to pass, thus improving overall design quality.

To start writing a failing test for a new feature, define a test for the next behavior increment, execute the test suite to confirm it fails, implement the minimal code required to pass, and then refactor. This ensures your workflow strictly follows test-first planning.

Yes, you can apply test-first workflows to bug fixes and refactoring. Writing a failing test that reproduces the bug or verifies the refactor ensures your changes are anchored to verifiable behavior, improving regression safety across feature work, refactors, and fixes.

Test-driven development prevents regressions by enforcing a workflow that writes a failing test first, anchoring implementation code to verifiable behavior. This discipline ensures every new increment and refactor is validated, reducing the risk of breaking existing functionality.

You enforce RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycles by adopting a workflow that prevents writing implementation code without a failing test. Define the failing test, execute it to observe failure, implement minimal code to pass, and iterate until all tests pass before refactoring.

A constraint of test-first development is that it requires writing a failing test before any implementation code. If your workflow cannot accommodate defining verifiable behavior upfront for increments, refactors, or regression fixes, this discipline may not suit your software engineering context.