Why do we use given, when then
You might be surprised how many engineers, scrum masters and general agile people use given when then, in some form or another, but may not be able to clearly explain why.
A simple user story
Given that I am a user, When I click the update button, Then the button should turn green.
Some may say it makes stories easy to understand, that would be true, but lot's of language styles can do that, so why ?
Ask around ? let us know in the comments
First clue
Given
When
Then
We have three items, where else do we have a similar conceptual flow ?
If you've twigged it already, you're a genius, (yeah I didn't either)
Second clue..
Arrange
Act
Assert
Anyone ?
Map the story to the test
| Story | Test |
|---|---|
| Given, that I am user | Arrange, test in the context of a user |
| When, I click the update button | Act, create button click test |
| Then, the button should turn green. | Assert, the button colour is actually green |
See how the story maps to the test, it makes it crystal clear what the ask is, bearing in mind it's not acceptance criteria it should stay high level.
The developers & the testers are able to break the story down relatively precisely into tasks.
Hopefully you now understand the all encompassing why, at least as far as given when them goes anyway 😮😮😮.
🤚 Bye for now.
Drop me some feedback please, helps decide what to write about next!
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