Chapter 2 – Testing Throughout the SDLC
Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) – ISTQB Definition
Last Updated: July 12, 2026 · SoftwareTestPilot QA Team
Official ISTQB Definition
A collaborative approach in which acceptance tests are derived by the customer, developer and tester before development starts, then used to drive implementation.
In simple words
The team agrees on acceptance tests up front and only writes code that makes those tests pass.
Exam tip
ATDD writes acceptance tests before code — TDD writes unit tests, BDD writes behaviors.
Related terms
- Test-Driven DevelopmentRed-green-refactor: write a failing test, make it pass with the simplest code, then clean up.
- Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)BDD writes tests as plain-English scenarios so business, devs and QA agree on what the feature should do before code is written.
- Acceptance TestingThe ‘go / no-go’ testing that confirms the system meets business needs and is ready to be released to real users.
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