test-driven-development

Test-driven development is enforced by requiring a failing test before writing production code, applying the Red-Green-Refactor cycle to feature development, bug fixes, and refactoring. This approach reduces defects and regression risk by driving design through tests.

The Red-Green-Refactor cycle is a unit testing workflow where you first write a failing test, implement the minimal production code to make it pass, and then refactor the code for clarity. This ensures code meets requirements with minimal complexity.

To write tests first with pytest, begin by writing a failing test that defines the new feature's expectations. Next, implement the simplest code to pass the test, and finally refactor for clarity using clear test naming conventions to facilitate collaboration.

Test-driven development works for refactoring and bug fixes across projects of varying sizes. By maintaining a tests-first policy, it clarifies expectations, guards against regressions, and improves maintainability regardless of the project's scale.

A tests-first policy is used instead of writing production code first to clarify expectations and guard against regressions. This disciplined approach reduces defects and improves maintainability by ensuring code meets requirements with minimal production code.