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Assumption Based Development vs Test Driven Development

Developers should use Assumption Based Development when working on projects with high uncertainty, such as new product development, innovative features, or complex systems where requirements are unclear meets developers should use tdd when building reliable, maintainable software, especially in agile environments or for complex systems where requirements evolve. Here's our take.

🧊Nice Pick

Assumption Based Development

Developers should use Assumption Based Development when working on projects with high uncertainty, such as new product development, innovative features, or complex systems where requirements are unclear

Assumption Based Development

Nice Pick

Developers should use Assumption Based Development when working on projects with high uncertainty, such as new product development, innovative features, or complex systems where requirements are unclear

Pros

  • +It's particularly valuable in agile and lean environments to prevent wasted effort on invalid assumptions, enabling faster pivots and more reliable delivery
  • +Related to: agile-methodology, lean-software-development

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Test Driven Development

Developers should use TDD when building reliable, maintainable software, especially in agile environments or for complex systems where requirements evolve

Pros

  • +It helps catch defects early, improves code quality through refactoring, and provides a safety net for changes, making it ideal for projects requiring high test coverage or frequent iterations, such as web applications or APIs
  • +Related to: unit-testing, automated-testing

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Assumption Based Development if: You want it's particularly valuable in agile and lean environments to prevent wasted effort on invalid assumptions, enabling faster pivots and more reliable delivery and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Test Driven Development if: You prioritize it helps catch defects early, improves code quality through refactoring, and provides a safety net for changes, making it ideal for projects requiring high test coverage or frequent iterations, such as web applications or apis over what Assumption Based Development offers.

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The Bottom Line
Assumption Based Development wins

Developers should use Assumption Based Development when working on projects with high uncertainty, such as new product development, innovative features, or complex systems where requirements are unclear

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