How is test driven development and documentation linked?

As we all know that the test driven development or TDD is another process in the list of the most of the popular software development processes. The topic of the test driven development is in the league of this article. 

About Test Driven Development

- The test driven development took its root from the idea of the repetition of a very short development cycles. 

- The first of all a failing automated test case is written or created by the software developer or tester which is meant to serve the purpose of defining a new function or a desired improvement. 

- Secondly a code to pass the above created test is also written by the developer. 

- This newly written code is then subjected to refactoring in order to make it meet the acceptable standards. 

- The test driven development has always been looked up as an encouragement for the simple designs and also as an inspiration for boosting up the confidence levels.

- The test driven development has always been known to be related to the concepts of the extreme programming or XP. 

- But, eventually it came to be known as a standalone process having its own ways and rights.

- The concepts of the test driven development are used by the programmers and developers as a measure for debugging the legacy code and improving it further. 

- The test driven development is usually driven by a series of automated unit tests that are written by the developer to provide definition for the requirements of the code and then the code is automatically produced. 

- These tests are constituted of the assertions of their own.

- If a test is successfully passed, the developer is confirmed of the correctness of the code and that it can be further evolved and refactored. 

The documentation forms a very important part of any development or testing and so does of the test driven development. This article has taken up the question: “how is test driven development and documentation linked?”. 

About Importance of Documentation In TDD

Now coming to the importance of documentation in the test driven development, it includes the following documents:

1. Feasibility report
2. Technical documentation
3. Operational documentation
4. Log book and so on.

- The documentation in test driven development is another source of support to the developers as well as the users.

- It provides all the crucial information required to set up a uniform environment in which the software system or application is to be operated. 

- In case of a break down when the person in charge is not available, the users experience down time and most of their resources are wasted. In such situations, there is only one thing that can save one’s precious time and efforts and that thing is nothing but the documentation. 

- It provides all the information and guidelines that are required to fix an issue. 

- The format of the documentation does not matter much as much as it content matters.

- Documentation is vital to any software development process and not particularly to the test driven development.

- Documentation is an effective mean for streamlining the test driven development process. 

- Apart from all this, documentation has got an important role to play in the business.

- Document is needed in the test driven development since it helps in codifying the procedure for the development of the software system or application. 

- The documentation provides effective protection during the audits to the test driven development.

- It is important that the documentation is developed alongside the development of software system or application. 

- Documentation will be effective if it is considered to be a part of the work and not a hindrance to it.