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Small Increments in TDD

publish date: 2026/06/18 05:45:7.273684 UTC

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TDD requires identifying small functionality increments to implement. What is the recommended granularity of these increments?

Each increment should correspond to exactly one sprint in an agile project

Increments must be formally specified before any tests are written

Each increment should be small enough that you can write a single test for it and implement it quickly

Each increment should be a complete user story or feature that can be demonstrated to a customer

Correct Answer

Each increment should be small enough that you can write a single test for it and implement it quickly

Explanation

TDD works with very small increments of functionality. Each increment should be small enough that a single test can be written for it and implementation can follow quickly. You may sometimes write several tests at once if they all relate to the same small piece of new behavior. The key is that each cycle of the TDD loop completes quickly.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 10th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

Test-Driven Development - Process and Benefits