Back to proposals-2013

Title: Growing software from examples
Proposer: seb_rose
Type: Tutorial
Duration: 90 minutes
Description: There are a wealth of methods that use specifications, examples and tests to drive out the design and implementation of software systems: TDD, ATDD, BDD, SbE and more. Beyond a common feeling that the use of the T-word (test) is unfortunate (because it serves to distort the intent and distract the focus of the practitioner) there is little agreement. A further impediment, from a development perspective, has been the partitioning of the techniques into business-facing (ATDD, BDD, SbE) and technical (TDD). All methods that make use of executable examples require the participation of developers and share a common subset of pitfalls and gotchas.

This session will demonstrate the commonalities between the methods and show how they can work together productively to grow software. We will examine effective techniques that should be used irrespective of the layer at which you are working, while highlighting concerns that are specific to the business and technical layers. Tooling will only be discussed to the extent that it empowers a particular technique.

In conclusion, we will make a case for a more inclusive nomenclature that emphasises the shared underpinnings of all example-based techniques.

Roger: I prefer one of Seb's other talks (unless they duplicate better offerings)