Re:Ask HN: Should you TDD a MVP?
by jt2190 on Sunday December 30, 2012 @03:18PM
(#4986948)
I completely agree, and let me add to your point:
> manually testing code and fixing bugs is expensive
The codebase almost always starts small and simple, and the ratio of cost of development to the cost of testing will look misleadingly acceptable. Here's a made-up ratio:
2:1
As the codebase and complexity increase, keeping those ratios in the same proportion when manually testing is pretty much impossible, and the ratio may actually invert. Again, a made-up number:
1:2
If the business is relying on rolling out new features to continue to grow the business, this could become a big problem if revenue isn't growing at an even faster pace.
> manually testing code and fixing bugs is expensive
The codebase almost always starts small and simple, and the ratio of cost of development to the cost of testing will look misleadingly acceptable. Here's a made-up ratio:
2:1
As the codebase and complexity increase, keeping those ratios in the same proportion when manually testing is pretty much impossible, and the ratio may actually invert. Again, a made-up number:
1:2
If the business is relying on rolling out new features to continue to grow the business, this could become a big problem if revenue isn't growing at an even faster pace.