Investigation on Expectations, Beliefs, and Limitations of Test-DrivenDevelopment in Practice

Abstract: Background: In current software development, agile development approaches are widely used. One of these methods is Test-driven development (TDD). TDD is said to be a perfect fit for development as it is highly collaborative and is said to improve productivity and accuracy in development. However, it is not a widely used process because people have different perceptions of TDD (mostly negative). In this study we will investigate the expectations about TDD and if these expectations are being met in practice and understand what makes TDD a not-so-usable process. Objectives: The objectives of this study include: To understand the expectations of practitioners about TDD. To investigate if the expectations for TDD are met in practice. To identify the factors that limit the use of TDD. Methods: We have performed a review of the state of the art, from where we have gathered the most common expectations about TDD. These expectations have been used in the survey to see if these expectations are met from the perspective of practitioners simultaneously, we have also conducted interviews. We have collected qualitative data and analyzed the data. Additionally, we have also conducted a sentiment analysis of Reddit comments. Results: From the survey and interviews, we found that the overall perception of TDD is positive and it can provide benefits in certain contexts, We also identified the factors like lack of knowledge or training, perceived difficulty, and resistance to change among others that limit the use of TDD in industry. In the sentiment analysis, we found that the overall sentiment of the comments is mostly neutral and some of them negative. Conclusions: In conclusion, from our study, we identified that TDD can provide benefits but organizations must be willing to invest the time and effort to train their people and see the results using TDD. There are examples of successful projects using TDD but it is not necessarily the best approach in all situations and should be used judiciously to match the specific needs of the project and the organization. Keywords: Agile, Software testing, Test Driven Development, Expectations, Limitations.