Exploring the Connection between the TDD Practice and Test Smells—A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Test-driven development (TDD) is an agile practice of writing test code before production code, following three stages: red, green, and refactor. In the red stage, the test code is written; in the green stage, the minimum code necessary to make the test pass is implemented, and in the refactor stage, improvements are made to the code. This practice is widespread across the industry, and various studies have been conducted to understand its benefits and impacts on the software development process. Despite its popularity, TDD studies often focus on the technical aspects of the practice, such as the external/internal quality of the code, productivity, test smells, and code comprehension, rather than the context in which it is practiced. In this paper, we present a systematic literature review using Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar that focuses on the TDD practice and the influences that lead to the introduction of test smells/anti-patterns in the test code. The findings suggest that organizational structure influences the testing strategy. Additionally, there is a tendency to use test smells and TDD anti-patterns interchangeably, and test smells negatively impact code comprehension. Furthermore, TDD styles and the relationship between TDD practice and the generation of test smells are frequently overlooked in the literature.