test-driven-development

To start test-driven development for a new feature, you write a failing unit test that captures the desired behavior, observe the failure, implement the minimal code required to pass it, and then refactor safely.

The Red-Green-Refactor cycle in TDD is a deterministic workflow where you first write a failing test, implement minimal code to make the test pass green, and then refactor the code with safety guardrails to improve design and maintainability.

Yes, you can use test-first workflows for fixing bugs in production code by writing a failing test that reproduces the specific defect, implementing the minimal code to resolve it and reach a green state, and refactoring safely.

The best way to ensure code quality and reduce regressions during refactoring is to enforce a test-first workflow, maintaining a green test suite while applying guardrails to safely modify production code without altering behavior.

Yes, you need to write unit tests before implementing minimal code to enforce the disciplined practice of test-driven development, which improves code design, maintainability, and ensures reliable execution patterns.

Test-driven development requires observing the failing test first to establish a deterministic execution pattern, proving the test accurately captures the desired behavior and validates that the subsequent minimal implementation resolves the correct failure.