An Uncommonly Important Message

We don't do TDD just for the fun of it, and I don't want you to, either!

I did not write these five statements about TDD. That honor belongs to Michael Hill, known as @GeePawHill. Mike and I are long-time colleagues and dear friends who think very similarly about software development.

It makes me a little sad (or a little angry, depending on the day) to see Mike call these underplayed premises of TDD, because I consider them absolutely essential to practising TDD. You might hear others talk about the importance of the agile mindset; I think that these statements lie at the heart of the TDD mindset. I expect the rules of TDD to lead you to them. (On my worst days, I'd say that if the rules of TDD don't lead you these premises, then you aren't really practising TDD. It's the same as the difference between 20 years' experience and 1 year of experience 20 times.)

Please keep these premises in mind as you complete this course. Look and listen for them. Pay attention to your own mind as you practise. Recognize when you begin to believe and internalize these statements. Let us know when it happens. Therein lies the real magic of TDD.

Complete and Continue