Why I Don't Use TDD (And You Don't Have To Either)

Test-Driven Development (TDD) is one of the most debated methodologies in software development. Some swear by it, claiming it leads to better code quality, fewer bugs, and more maintainable systems. Others—myself included—find that it disrupts productivity, stifles creativity, and often becomes an unnecessary burden. If you’ve ever struggled with TDD or felt that it slows you down, you’re not alone. Here’s why I don’t use TDD and why you might want to reconsider its place in your workflow. 1. TDD Slows Down Development TDD enforces writing tests before writing the actual implementation. While this sounds great in theory, in practice, it drastically slows down development, especially in the early stages of a project when: Requirements are still evolving. You’re rapidly iterating on ideas. The code you write might change or be thrown away. In fast-moving environments, writing tests before you even know what the final implementation should look like is often a waste of time. 2. It Disrupts Developer Flow & Creativity Developers often get into a state of flow where they can think deeply and solve complex problems efficiently. TDD forces constant context-switching: Write a test. Write just enough code to pass the test. Refactor. Repeat. This cycle is jarring and prevents you from thinking holistically about the problem. Many experienced developers prefer to focus on designing elegant, well-structured code first, then write tests after they have a solid foundation. 3. Not All Code Benefits from TDD TDD is great for well-defined logic-heavy components (like a sorting algorithm), but in real-world development, a lot of code is exploratory. Some examples where TDD is more of a hassle than a benefit: UI Development: Frontend behavior is highly visual and interactive. Writing tests before UI elements even exist is impractical. Machine Learning / AI: Expected outputs aren’t always deterministic, making strict test cases difficult to define. Game Development: Physics, AI behavior, and procedural generation don’t fit neatly into test-driven workflows. In these cases, manual testing, logging, and debugging are often much more effective than writing unit tests upfront. 4. TDD Can Create a False Sense of Security One of the biggest arguments for TDD is that it prevents bugs. However, just because code passes tests doesn’t mean it’s bug-free or well-architected. Why? Tests only check for expected behavior. They don’t catch unknown issues. Poorly written tests can lead to false confidence in bad code. Many bugs occur due to integration issues, which TDD does not directly address. Instead of blindly following TDD, developers should focus on proper code reviews, integration tests, and real-world testing. 5. TDD Doesn't Guarantee Good Code TDD advocates claim it leads to better architecture, but that’s only true if the developer already knows how to design good software. Good design comes from experience and critical thinking, not rigid test-first rules. Writing tests too early can lock you into suboptimal architectures, making future refactoring harder. Great developers don’t just follow processes, they think critically about when a methodology is useful and when it’s just extra work. 6. Most Companies Don’t Rigidly Follow TDD Anyway Despite its popularity in theory, very few teams strictly adhere to TDD in practice. Many companies instead: Write tests after implementation to ensure correctness. Focus more on integration and end-to-end testing over rigid unit tests. Prioritize fast iteration and delivery over TDD’s structured approach. Even Kent Beck, the creator of TDD, has admitted that he doesn’t follow it religiously anymore. So, Should You Ditch TDD Completely? Not necessarily. TDD has its place, but it’s not the universal solution that some make it out to be. It’s just one tool among many.

Feb 26, 2025 - 06:45

Why I Don't Use TDD (And You Don't Have To Either)

Test-Driven Development (TDD) is one of the most debated methodologies in software development. Some swear by it, claiming it leads to better code quality, fewer bugs, and more maintainable systems. Others—myself included—find that it disrupts productivity, stifles creativity, and often becomes an unnecessary burden.

If you’ve ever struggled with TDD or felt that it slows you down, you’re not alone. Here’s why I don’t use TDD and why you might want to reconsider its place in your workflow.

1. TDD Slows Down Development

TDD enforces writing tests before writing the actual implementation. While this sounds great in theory, in practice, it drastically slows down development, especially in the early stages of a project when:

Requirements are still evolving.
You’re rapidly iterating on ideas.
The code you write might change or be thrown away.

In fast-moving environments, writing tests before you even know what the final implementation should look like is often a waste of time.

2. It Disrupts Developer Flow & Creativity

Developers often get into a state of flow where they can think deeply and solve complex problems efficiently. TDD forces constant context-switching:

Write a test.
Write just enough code to pass the test.
Refactor.
Repeat.

This cycle is jarring and prevents you from thinking holistically about the problem. Many experienced developers prefer to focus on designing elegant, well-structured code first, then write tests after they have a solid foundation.

3. Not All Code Benefits from TDD

TDD is great for well-defined logic-heavy components (like a sorting algorithm), but in real-world development, a lot of code is exploratory. Some examples where TDD is more of a hassle than a benefit:

UI Development: Frontend behavior is highly visual and interactive. Writing tests before UI elements even exist is impractical.
Machine Learning / AI: Expected outputs aren’t always deterministic, making strict test cases difficult to define.
Game Development: Physics, AI behavior, and procedural generation don’t fit neatly into test-driven workflows.

In these cases, manual testing, logging, and debugging are often much more effective than writing unit tests upfront.

4. TDD Can Create a False Sense of Security

One of the biggest arguments for TDD is that it prevents bugs. However, just because code passes tests doesn’t mean it’s bug-free or well-architected.

Why?

Tests only check for expected behavior. They don’t catch unknown issues.
Poorly written tests can lead to false confidence in bad code.
Many bugs occur due to integration issues, which TDD does not directly address.

Instead of blindly following TDD, developers should focus on proper code reviews, integration tests, and real-world testing.

5. TDD Doesn't Guarantee Good Code

TDD advocates claim it leads to better architecture, but that’s only true if the developer already knows how to design good software.

Good design comes from experience and critical thinking, not rigid test-first rules.
Writing tests too early can lock you into suboptimal architectures, making future refactoring harder.

Great developers don’t just follow processes, they think critically about when a methodology is useful and when it’s just extra work.

6. Most Companies Don’t Rigidly Follow TDD Anyway

Despite its popularity in theory, very few teams strictly adhere to TDD in practice. Many companies instead:

Write tests after implementation to ensure correctness.
Focus more on integration and end-to-end testing over rigid unit tests.
Prioritize fast iteration and delivery over TDD’s structured approach.

Even Kent Beck, the creator of TDD, has admitted that he doesn’t follow it religiously anymore.

So, Should You Ditch TDD Completely?

Not necessarily. TDD has its place, but it’s not the universal solution that some make it out to be. It’s just one tool among many.