If unit testing is so great, why aren't more companies doing it? [closed]

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

The first real software company that I worked at was all about the unit testing (NUnit). I don't know that we were real sticklers for it back then -- I have no idea what our code coverage was like and I was writing most of the unit tests. Since then I've run into some companies that do lots of testing, but it's chair testing: relies on a person being there, has low repeatibility and low chance of catching bugs. The other attitude is: it was something they wanted to get going with "in the future"; basically when money falls from the sky.

I miss unit testing -- it just makes life easier. But I'm finding that when I look for a new job, unit testing is either something that companies would like to "get going with" in the future or something they don't do at all (uhh, it's been around for a while now!). I'd say that 60-75% of the job reqs I've looked at over the past 2 years have not listed unit testing at all. I can only think of one or two that had unit testing experience as a requirement (for a mid-level developer position).

So the question is, what's missing? I think it makes people more productive, but that's only after spending a solid amount of time actually doing it. Aren't there any good studies about the cost savings of unit testing? Is it the type of company I'm looking at?

Edit: even though the title is a bit devils-advocate, I consider myself a unit testing proponent.

manpreet 2 years ago