Our DevOps and Testing Report clearly lays out the problems that organizations face when it comes to unit testing. Miscommunication and misunderstandings between different teams (and even teammates) aren’t uncommon, and we’ve got 4 reasons why unit testing can actually combat these problems, and why it should be a regular feature of your software development process:
1. Save time
Manually writing unit tests results in a longer development process, which is often seen as a delay to delivery. However, properly testing code results in thoroughly checked and more reliable work that can’t come back around and bite you further down the pipeline, saving time in the long run, and ensuring better performance.
2. Catch issues early
Expectations for how your software should work is verified through testing, and regular testing early on in the development pipeline allows you to make changes before they cause a cascade of problems later on. Bugs and other issues are
3. Make future changes faster
Software isn’t static, and often needs to be updated over time. With prepared unit tests, a proposed change can be implemented, and the tests run, to quickly determine if the change works, and whether it’s worth it.
4. Create documentation as you go
Unit tests are essentially a form of documentation. When you create unit tests, you’re creating a record of how the software works (or should work). This results in easier communication among those already working with the code, as well as with any new developers who come onboard.
If you’re ready to start getting unit tests, you can save even more time by using Diffblue Cover: Community Edition, which creates free tests for Java code.
