test-driven-development

To start test-driven development, describe a feature, write a failing unit test for it, implement the minimal production code to pass that test, and then refactor. This enforces the RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle to ensure tests govern code changes.

The RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle is a test-driven development practice where you first write a failing test (RED), implement minimal code to make it pass (GREEN), and then clean up the code (REFACTOR) while ensuring tests continue passing.

You should use test-first development during bug fixes and refactoring to guard against regressions. Writing tests before changing production code ensures your automated test suite validates that fixes and structural changes preserve existing functionality.

Test-driven development requires building an automated test suite as you go. You write failing tests before implementing features or fixes, then validate your minimal production code against this growing suite to continuously ensure regression safety.

The best way to ensure code quality during feature development is enforcing test-driven development practices. By writing minimal production code to satisfy predefined tests, you improve maintainability and regression safety through automated test-first discipline.

Writing minimal production code limits over-engineering but requires strict adherence to the RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle. If tests lack meaningful coverage or fail to capture edge cases, minimal implementations may not fully address complex software engineering requirements.