Design for Testability - SOCK

SOCK Principles

• Simplicity - make it only as complex as it needs to be, the more complex software is, the harder it is to test
• Observability - tests must be able to observe the results of the software and its effect on the system as a whole
• Control - the more controllable a component, the more deterministic and predictable the behaviour
• Knowledge - the need to know what the expected results are

Techniques:

• When designing always think "how am I going to test this"? TDD reinforces this
• Test at all levels - test indiviudal components, test integration of components and test via the front-end (GUI)
• Use Mocks to test the erorr conditions of individual components

Sources:

Design for Testability

Improving the Testability of Software