The Complexity Continuum
- Simple: one spec in a single document (no external references)
- Develop tests for what's specified in the document
- More complex: one spec in multiple documents (no external
references)
- Develop tests for what's specified in the documents
- Beware...
- Advance the docs together where inter-dependencies exist
- Don't simultaneously support/promote different versions of one
doc
- Create an umbrella spec that explicitly states the versions of
component specs
- Complex: your spec references an "external" spec
(created by another group)
- You still need an umbrella spec
- Can you assume that the included functionality is tested (or out of
scope), or must you test it?
- If you must test it, should you test By Reference, or test
By Value?
- "Pass my tests and pass their tests too"
- Assumes there is an explicit, versioned test suite you can point
to
- Or (more likely) incorporate external tests into your test suite
- Hopefully the tests were developed with re-use in mind