test-driven-development

Test-driven development requires writing a failing test first to verify desired behavior, then implementing only the minimal production code needed to pass that test. This red-green-refactor workflow catches regressions early and guides software design.

The red-green-refactor cycle is a unit testing workflow where you write a failing test, implement just enough code to make it pass, and then refactor for clarity. This disciplined approach improves software reliability and maintainability.

Yes, test-driven development is intended for feature work, bug fixes, and refactoring. By writing a failing test that captures the desired behavior first, you create reliable guardrails that verify the fix or refactor works correctly.

Test-driven development requires failing tests first to validate that the test actually checks the intended behavior and to catch regressions early. This mandatory step guides code design by ensuring only minimal production code is written to pass tests.

A test-first approach is best suited for situations requiring reliable behavior and guardrails, such as feature work and bug fixes. If a task is purely exploratory or requires no verifiable behavior, the strict red-green-refactor workflow may be unnecessary overhead.

The best way to start a test-first workflow is to write a failing test for the specific desired behavior, implement the minimum production code required to pass the test, and then refactor the code for clarity and maintainability.