[python-uk] Future Dojo idea ... randomised trials

[Jonathan Hartley]

People are always banging on about how programming lacks scientific 
rigour when it comes to evaluating common practice.

Is TDD *always* faster?
http://blog.8thlight.com/uncle-bob/2012/01/11/Flipping-the-Bit.html

Is it *ever* faster?
http://www.davewsmith.com/blog/2009/proof-that-tdd-slows-projects-down

Who knows? Fortunately, we have the tools to answer the question once 
and for all. We, at the London Dojo, could run a randomised trial:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/30/run-your-own-scientific-trials

I'm curious what results we'd get if we randomly made some Dojo teams 
use TDD for the assignment, and others not. Our usual time contraints 
result in a mad scramble for the finish line. Would TDD make the task 
harder, or easier? Would the results be more functional, or less?

Perhaps it doesn't make sense: A team assigned to do TDD might only have 
members who were not practiced in it. But I can't help but wonder what 
results it would produce. Is anyone else curious?

     Jonathan

-- 
Jonathan Hartley    tartley at tartley.com    http://tartley.com
Made of meat.       +44 7737 062 225       twitter/skype: tartley