Behavior Driven Development For Beginners

The field of software development and testing can be complex, and those stepping into it must familiarize themselves with relevant techniques and procedures. For instance, Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a highly prominent method that relies largely on cooperation and communication to produce high-quality software. This article explores the core principles of BDD, its essential components, and some of the best practices for novices wishing to use this technique.

What is BDD?

What is BDD? – it can be understood as a process under software development that stresses cooperation between testers, developers, and company executives. Contrasting conventional development methodologies, BDD essentially prioritizes designing a software system’s functionality from the viewpoint of its end users. This shift in focus thus ensures that the program fits into the requirements and demands of its intended audience, ultimately resulting in increased customer satisfaction and product quality.

Three Pillars of BDD

Three important pillars underpin BDD: These include- Discovery, Formulation, and Automation.

 

• Discovery: First and foremost, software developers, testers, and company executives engage in cooperative conversations and brainstorming sessions to start the BDD process. Throughout these meetings, the team attempts to grasp user requirements, create acceptance standards, and determine the product’s intended use.

 

• Formulation: After understanding the intended behavior, it is transformed into executable specifications in an organized natural language style known as “Given-When-Then” scenarios. These scenarios generally function as living documentation, further capturing the anticipated behavior of the respective software in a clear and succinct manner.

 

• Automation: Lastly, BDD uses specialized testing frameworks such as Cucumber or SpecFlow to write automated tests based on the established scenarios. By comparing the software’s behavior to the established acceptance standards, these automated tests make sure that the program operates as anticipated under an array of circumstances.

Best Practices for Beginners.

For novices wishing to implement BDD, here are some excellent practices to remember:

• Collaboration Is Vital: Note that BDD thrives on collaboration among all of the involved parties such as the developers, testers, and business stakeholders. Make sure to promote open communication and cooperation throughout the development cycle to guarantee that everyone understands the expected behavior of the product.
• Begin Small: When introducing BDD, begin with compact, achievable tasks or features. This enables teams to become comfortable with the BDD methodology and identify any issues or roadblocks early on.
• Focus on Business Value: BDD emphasizes generating business value by connecting development efforts with user demands and goals. Always prioritize additions and functionality that are closely related to the project or product’s overall goals and objectives.
• Continued Feedback: Create a culture of continual feedback and iteration within your team. Regularly analyze and update your BDD scenarios based on stakeholder feedback and automated test results.
• Empowerment Through Automation: Use automation tools and frameworks to speed up the execution of BDD tests and provide consistent, trustworthy results. Automated tests enable teams to spot flaws early in the development process and preserve trust in the quality of their product.
• Automate Early and Often: One of the fundamental ideas of BDD is the automation of acceptance criteria using executable specifications. Strive to automate tests continually across the project lifetime and early in the development phase to guarantee BDD’s efficacy.
• Preserve Straightforward and Simple Scenarios: Further, BDD scenarios should be created in a clear, concise, and readily accessible manner. Make sure that they appropriately represent the expected program behavior. In addition, try and avoid using ambiguous or too technical terminology in your scenarios to ensure that they are comprehensible to all stakeholders.

TDD vs BDD: Key Differences

TDD: As for TDD, developers typically create tests to check individual code pieces before creating the code directly. Writing failed tests comes first in TDD, then the minimal code needed to pass those tests, and last, any necessary rewriting of the code. This process is known as the “Red-Green-Refactor” cycle.

BDD, however, significantly focuses on describing software behavior through the perspective of end users. BDD scenarios are essentially produced in a structured natural language manner that is accessible to technical as well as non-technical stakeholders. This technique promotes cooperation and communication throughout the development process while emphasizing on aligning development efforts with corporate goals and user requirements.

Although there are differences between TDD and BDD, they have several commonalities. Their emphasis on automated testing and teamwork also distinguishes them significantly.

Beginners can leverage ACCELQ’s cloud-based continuous testing technology to improve their BDD testing procedures.

Wrapping Up

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a rather systematic approach to software development that stresses on collaboration and communication while generating business value. Beginners may begin their road to embracing and reaping the benefits of BDD by knowing its core parts and best practices