Test-driven Development
Test-Driven Development (TDD) is a development approach in which automated tests are written before the production code that satisfies them.
“A software development technique in which the test cases are developed, automated and then the software is developed incrementally to pass those test cases.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Test-driven Development?
Developers follow a cycle of writing a failing test, implementing the minimum code required to pass the test, and then refactoring the solution.
Test first: Tests are written before implementation.
Short feedback cycle: Encourages incremental development.
Refactoring: Code quality improves continuously.
Real World Example
A regulated product team is preparing a release where Test-driven development appears in reviews, test design conversations, or defect triage rather than as an isolated glossary word.
The risk is that the team treats Test-driven development as interchangeable with nearby ISTQB terms. That makes test scope blurry and can lead to weak evidence for the release decision.
The tester anchors the discussion in the official definition, asks where the concept appears in the product, and designs examples that show the difference between Test-driven development and similar ideas.
The page becomes useful in practice because Test-driven development is connected to a specific testing decision, not memorized as a detached definition.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which statement BEST describes Test-driven development in the context of ISTQB terminology?
Question 2
A tester needs to explain Test-driven development to a non‑technical stakeholder. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
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