What Is Behavioral Driven Development ?

Behavioral Driven Development (BDD) is a software development approach that emphasizes the collaboration between developers, quality assurance (QA) professionals, and business stakeholders to understand the desired behavior of a system. It is a process that helps to ensure that the software that is developed meets the needs of the business and is aligned with business goals.

BDD involves writing specific, detailed examples (called "scenarios") that describe how the system should behave in certain situations. These scenarios are written in a way that is easy for non-technical stakeholders to understand and are used to drive the development process

When To Use 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

Behavioral Driven Development (BDD) can be useful in any software development project where it is important to clearly understand and specify the desired behavior of a system. Some common situations where BDD may be particularly useful include:

• Projects with complex or unfamiliar business requirements: BDD helps to ensure that the software being developed meets the needs of the business and aligns with business goals by focusing on the desired behavior of the system.

• Projects with multiple stakeholders: BDD promotes collaboration and communication between developers, QA professionals, and business stakeholders, which can be especially important in projects with multiple stakeholders who may have different perspectives and needs.

• Projects with a focus on quality: BDD helps to ensure that the software being developed meets the desired behavior and meets the needs of the business. This can help to increase the overall quality of the software.

• Projects with a need for rapid development: BDD can help to streamline the development process by focusing on the desired behavior of the system and using that to drive the development process. This can help to reduce the time and effort required to develop the software.

What Does A Typical BDD Process Consist Of?

• Identify the business goals and desired behavior of the system: The first step in the BDD process is to understand the business goals and the desired behavior of the system. This typically involves working with business stakeholders to identify the key features and functionality that the system should have, and how the system should behave in different situations.

• Write specific, detailed scenarios that describe how the system should behave: Once the business goals and desired behavior of the system are understood, the next step is to write specific, detailed scenarios that describe how the system should behave in various situations. These scenarios are typically written in a natural language format that is easy for non-technical stakeholders to understand, and are used to drive the development process.

• Use the scenarios to drive the development process: The scenarios that are written in the previous step are used to drive the development process, including the design, implementation, and testing of the system. The scenarios can be used to guide the development team in creating functional code that meets the desired behavior of the system.

• Continuously evaluate and refine the scenarios: As the system is being developed, it is important to continuously evaluate and refine the scenarios to ensure that they accurately reflect the desired behavior of the system. This can involve reviewing and updating the scenarios based on feedback from the development team and other stakeholders, and making sure that the scenarios are still relevant as the system evolves.

Final Thought 🎈

BDD helps to ensure that the software being developed meets the needs of the business and aligns with business goals by focusing on the desired behavior of the system. It promotes communication and collaboration between stakeholders and helps to streamline the development process by using scenarios to drive the design, implementation, and testing of the system.

Overall, BDD is a valuable approach for any software development project where it is important to clearly understand and specify the desired behavior of a system, and where improving communication, collaboration, and quality are key objectives. By adopting a BDD approach, organizations can improve the effectiveness of their software development projects and deliver high-quality software that meets the needs of their customers.