When TDD Meets R&D: How to Keep Small Steps & Fast Feedback Loops in High Uncertainty

The Mob Mentality Show

How do you balance small, iterative progress with the vast unknowns of research and development (R&D)? Can test-driven development (TDD) literally or "in spirit" still provide value when you're navigating uncharted territory? In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we dive deep into the intersection of R&D Mobbing and software development, exploring real-world scenarios, strategies, and challenges teams face when innovating under uncertainty.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🔬 Chris's Journey with Mob Randori & R&D: From "we don’t know what we’re doing" to "we know what we’re doing"—how mob programming helped transform uncertainty into effective delivery.

🛠️ R&D vs. CD? Can teams practice continuous delivery (CD) even when tackling complex, unknown problem spaces? If so, is there a change in what is "delivered"?

📌 Keeping Small Steps & Feedback Loops in R&D: TDD is known for its rapid feedback and endorphin kicks—but how do you retain those benefits when exploring an unfamiliar landscape?

🔄 Adjusting Your Mobbing for the Task at Hand: When should you modify your mob programming approach to fit the nature of research-driven work versus production-level development?

🧗‍♂️ Clean Code Spelunking & Navigating the Unknown: Techniques for digging deep into existing codebases while ensuring safety and maintaining forward momentum.

🚩 Feature Flags & Safety in R&D: How to experiment with new ideas and do Trunk Based Development (TBD) without introducing instability to production.

📊 Transparency, Visualization & Business Buy-in: Addressing stakeholder fear of an "infinite problem space."

🧠 The Inverse of ZOMBIES in R&D Mode: How do you maintain focus, momentum, and value delivery when dealing with high levels of uncertainty?

⚡ Real-Life R&D Success Stories & Lessons Learned: Practical examples of mob programming driving R&D innovation in high-unknown environments.

If you’ve ever wondered how to keep experimentation structured, learning fast, and delivery continuous—even when dealing with complex unknowns—this episode is for you!
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Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/nipbhFopqMM