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Writer's pictureDeepak Sharma

The Odyssey of Agile Product Development: Behaviour Driven Development (BDD)


In the ancient realms of tech development, where software projects roamed wild and untamed, there emerged a mythical client known as Chronos the Timekeeper. Much like his name suggested, Chronos had an unyielding obsession with time, and his presence in the halls of product development was both an enigma and a headache. He hailed from a time long forgotten, where documentation was but a distant dream, and communication was a lost art.


Chronos would approach development teams with grand visions of technological marvels but provided only the vaguest of descriptions, wrapped in the riddles of yore. "Build me a platform that transcends time itself!" he would proclaim, leaving the poor teams scratching their heads, wondering if he meant a time-traveling app or perhaps a calendrical revolution.


As one might expect, the consequences of building a tech platform without a clear understanding of the client's desires were nothing short of disastrous. The development teams, with nothing more than their assumptions as their guide, toiled tirelessly to create an artifact that they thought Chronos would cherish. Little did they know that they were constructing a time-destroying machine instead of the time-transcending marvel the client had in mind.


The User Acceptance Testing (UAT) phase that followed was a comedy of errors and frustration. Chronos, with a furrowed brow and ancient scrolls in hand, was disappointed at every turn. "This is not what I meant!" he would bellow, and the teams, their souls crushed like grapes in the winepress of chaos, would retreat to fix the flaws they couldn't foresee.


Amidst this turmoil, a sage voice emerged from the depths of the Agile Mount Olympus, urging the teams to adopt a powerful methodology known as Behavior-driven development (BDD). This voice, of course, belonged to none other than our visionary tech titan, Mannu Bhai MBBS (Master of Bug Busting Sorcery)!


Mannu Bhai explained that BDD was like the mythical sword of Excalibur, capable of piercing through the mists of ambiguity and aligning the teams' understanding with that of the enigmatic client. Through BDD, the teams would collaborate with Chronos and other clients to describe the product's behavior in plain language, creating a shared vision that would leave no room for misunderstandings.


"The key," Mannu Bhai said with a knowing grin, "is to sharpen the axe before swinging it. With BDD, you'll hone your understanding of the client's desires, and only then shall you unleash the full might of your agile development prowess."


The teams embraced BDD like a pack of tech-savvy centaurs, uniting developers, testers, and product owners in a harmonious dance of specification. They would sit with Chronos and ask questions like, "What happens when a user bends time backward?" and "How should the platform react when two immovable objects try to occupy the same moment?" The once cryptic client was delighted by this newfound camaraderie and clarity.


In BDD, we found a divine oracle that helped us decipher the cryptic desires of Chronos. Instead of wandering blindly through the labyrinth of assumptions, we engaged in a ritual of communication, where we uncovered the sacred "Gherkin" language. This allowed us to express business requirements in a clear and unambiguous manner, much like the words of a prophecy etched in stone.


With BDD's blessing, our combined team was united, like the harmony of Apollo's lyre, working hand in hand with Chronos' Team to create a shared vision. We understood that to fell the mightiest oaks of product development challenges, we must first "sharpen the axe" of collaboration and feedback.


With BDD as their guiding light, the teams forged ahead, creating a tech platform that surpassed even the wildest imaginations of their mythological clients. The UAT phase, once a tumultuous tempest, transformed into a serene stream of feedback and fine-tuning. Chronos, no longer shrouded in mystery, was pleased beyond measure.


The results were miraculous! Delays in the UAT phase were replaced with joyous celebrations akin to Dionysian revelry. The tech platform we crafted became a divine reflection of Chronos' desires, surpassing even the heights of Mount Olympus.


And so, dear friends, as we conclude this epic odyssey of product development, let the tale of Chronos serve as a timeless reminder. When confronted with clients of ancient wisdom and minimal information, let us not embark on a perilous journey of assumptions. Instead, let us embrace the sacred ways of Behavior-driven development, for it is the key to unlocking the divine path of collaboration and shared vision.



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