by Emily Bache | Feb 27, 2026 | Testing Strategy and Advice
This article also appears as a video on the Modern Software Engineering Channel. Developers have been using the Test Pyramid forever to decide what kinds of tests to invest in. This model has also been much criticised as not giving terribly helpful guidance. In this...
by Emily Bache | Jan 7, 2026 | Testing Strategy and Advice
Here’s a question for you. What is the difference between a Spy and a Partial Mock? How about a Strict Mock? Test Double? Stub? What if I code it by hand instead of using a framework. Does that make it a Fake? Actually, I don’t think so! The language around...
by Emily Bache | Dec 8, 2025 | Testing Strategy and Advice
Kent Beck is one of the original authors of JUnit, an open source tool that kick-started a huge shift in programmer behaviour that I and others have found immensely valuable. In 2019 he published his “Test Desiderata” with advice about the properties he...
by Emily Bache | Oct 31, 2025 | Coding Skills
How to Succeed with Technical Coaching Software Developers are constantly shifting between activities. It might all be ‘coding’ but when you look more closely there are hundreds of distinct activities and decisions being taken about what to do next. The...
by Emily Bache | Jul 14, 2025 | Coding Skills
Code Katas are small exercises which can help you to practice coding skills in a safe environment. They are fun little problems with quirky themes that should hold your attention and be enjoyable to work on. I’ve personally been doing code katas for more than 20...
