test-driven-development

name	test-driven-development
description	Test-first development practice where test specifications are written before production code, integrated into plan tasks as mandatory first sub-steps.
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob, Agent, AskUserQuestion
graph	{"domains":["domain:software-engineering"],"skillAreas":["skill-area:agentic-loops","skill-area:orchestration-loop"],"workflows":["workflow:feature-development"],"topics":["topic:developer-experience"],"roles":["role:tech-lead","role:backend-engineer"]}

• During implementation (write tests before code)
• When verifying step completion

Process

1. Specify tests first - Define inputs, expected outputs, edge cases
2. Write test code - Create automated tests matching specification
3. Implement production code - Write code that passes the tests
4. Verify - Run tests and confirm all pass

Test Categories

• Unit tests: Isolated function/method testing
• Integration tests: Cross-component interaction testing
• Manual verification: Human-performed checks when automation is impractical

Key Rules

• Never combine test writing and implementation into a single step
• Every task with code changes must have associated tests
• Tests must be runnable and produce clear pass/fail results
• Edge cases must be explicitly considered

Tool Use

Integrated into methodologies/rpikit/rpikit-plan and methodologies/rpikit/rpikit-implement