Guidelines for Adopting Behavior-Driven Development (BDD):
A Case Study
Shexmo Richarlison Ribeiro dos Santos
1 a
, Marcus Vinicius Santana Silva
1 b
,
Marcos Cesar Barbosa dos Santos
1 c
, Luiz Felipe Cirqueira dos Santos
1 d
,
Mariano Florencio Mendonc¸a
1 e
, Marcos Venicius Santos
1 f
, Marckson F
´
abio da Silva Santos
1 g
,
Alberto Luciano de Souza Bastos
1 h
and Fabio Gomes Rocha
2 i
1
Federal University of Sergipe, S
˜
ao Crist
´
ov
˜
ao, Sergipe, Brazil
2
ISH (SafeLabs), Vit
´
oria, Esp
´
ırito Santo, Brazil
Keywords:
Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), Case Study, Guidelines, Survey.
Abstract:
Context: To analyze the effectiveness of adopting Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) with agile teams
that have not previously used this framework. Problem: Lack of a study that combines guidelines inherent
to adopting BDD. Solution: To achieve the proposed objective, the authors carried out two previous studies:
the first identifying the state of the art of BDD through a Systematic Multivocal Literature Review; and,
consequently, the state of the practice was analyzed, through a Survey, with professionals who use BDD in
their work activities. Thus, this research sought to validate the guidelines found. Method: A case study
was carried out in a private company focused on security software development with an agile team that did
not use BDD. Summarization of results: The results obtained showed the effectiveness and validity of the
guidelines previously found for adopting BDD. There is also a need for improving communication among
stakeholders, the only problem found in BDD’s adoption. Contributions and impact: The main contribution
of this study is the guidelines presented inherent to the adoption of BDD to contribute to both academia and
industry regarding the understanding and implementation of this framework, respectively.
1 INTRODUCTION
The Software Development Life Cycle is made up
of all the stages inherent to its construction (Rajbhoj
et al., 2024). Requirements Engineering is the part
of software construction that aims to make it work as
expected through frameworks and tools. Frameworks
are understood as models used in a systemic and stan-
dardized manner to achieve an objective.
Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is an agile
a
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0287-8055
b
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9211-5259
c
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7929-3904
d
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4538-5410
e
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0732-3980
f
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1645-6127
g
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6479-1900
h
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3911-9757
i
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0512-5406
framework used in the software life cycle and has
gained notoriety among researchers and profession-
als. BDD applies to all stages of software develop-
ment, from requirements elicitation to code documen-
tation. Because it has a ubiquitous language that is
easy to understand by all parties, BDD focuses on
the behavior the software is expected to perform to be
more assertive in eliciting requirements (Pereira et al.,
2018).
Therefore, a case study was conducted to evalu-
ate the possibility of applying guidelines to adopting
BDD and to validate previous studies regarding this
framework. Part of the Goal-Question-Metric pro-
tocol (Wohlin et al., 2012) was used, namely: To
analyze the adoption of BDD, with the purpose of
implementing, in relation to agile teams, from the
point of view of professionals , in the context of soft-
ware development”. To achieve this goal, the research
questions are presented in Table 1.
To answer the research questions and achieve the
Ribeiro dos Santos, S. R., Silva, M. V. S., Barbosa dos Santos, M. C., Cirqueira dos Santos, L. F., Mendonça, M. F., Santos, M. V., Santos, M. F. S., Bastos, A. L. S. and Rocha, F. G.
Guidelines for Adopting Behavior-Driven Development (BDD): A Case Study.
DOI: 10.5220/0013681700003985
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies (WEBIST 2025), pages 141-148
ISBN: 978-989-758-772-6; ISSN: 2184-3252
Proceedings Copyright © 2025 by SCITEPRESS Science and Technology Publications, Lda.
141
Table 1: Research questions.
Question Definition Justification
Q1 What are the
guidelines inher-
ent to adopting
BDD?
Present the guide-
lines to facilitate
the adoption of
BDD.
Q2 Did BDD achieve
the expected pur-
pose concerning
software develop-
ment?
Identify whether
BDD applies to
teams that have
never used it to
develop software.
Q3 What is the
respondents
perception that
adopted BDD for
this case study?
Present positive
and negative
points through a
survey regarding
the adoption of
BDD.
Q4 Are the guide-
lines presented
effective for
adopting BDD?
Validate the char-
acteristics found
by the authors in
previous studies.
general objective of this study, a case study and a sur-
vey were conducted with a team that did not use BDD
in its work activities at a private Brazilian security
software development company.
2 BEHAVIOR-DRIVEN
DEVELOPMENT (BDD)
Frameworks are structures designed to help auto-
mate software development tasks to save time and
reduce costs. Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)
is a framework used throughout the software life cy-
cle, from requirements elicitation through documen-
tation to software maintenance. Created in 2003 by
Dan North (North, 2006), BDD aims to mitigate the
problems encountered in Test-Driven Development
(TDD). While the latter focuses on testing the require-
ments themselves, BDD aims to be written according
to the expected behavior of the software.
BDD is written using ubiquitous language, i. e.,
in everyday natural language, to obtain clear and con-
cise communication regarding the expected objec-
tives. The structure used is through the commands
given, when and then”, a pattern called gherkin, so
that each user story must follow it. In this way, BDD
contributes to assertive deliveries about requirements
elicitation (Pereira et al., 2018), generating time sav-
ings and less rework for the team.
Given the lack of scientific research with such
guidelines, the authors previously carried out a Sys-
tematic Multivocal Literature Review
1
, and a Sur-
vey
2
. The authors yet carried out two more additional
studies: a Case Study
3
, and an Experiment
4
to bet-
ter understand the BDD framework. Thus, the results
found were validated through this current case study.
3 RELATED WORK
Binamungo and Maro (Binamungu and Maro, 2023)
systematically mapped BDD so that they could con-
tribute with aspects related to the state of the art in
which BDD is found. The authors were able to ob-
serve the need for more empirical evidence. Thus, this
case study may contribute as it is a real study with an
industry team and presents guidelines aimed at adopt-
ing BDD.
Kudo et al. (Kudo et al., 2023) carried out a study
to align requirements and tests through patterns aim-
ing at software quality. The authors created a frame-
work called Software Pattern Meta-Model (SoPaMM)
to align requirements and tests, providing testable
patterns and reducing cost and project development
time. Thus, the authors pointed out the need to cre-
ate testable requirements focusing on the behavior ex-
pected by the software through reusable patterns us-
ing the SoPaMM framework. Therefore, it is inter-
esting to use well-defined standards to guarantee the
quality of the final product delivered, enabling the
meeting of what is expected from the product with
the stakeholder’s desire.
Santos et al. (Santos et al., 2024) carried out a
case study using BDD to elicit non-functional require-
ments following the ISO/IEC/IEEE 25010 Standard.
The authors reported the effectiveness of BDD in elic-
iting non-functional requirements since they are more
complex than functional requirements. Thus, this new
case study may contribute to demonstrating the effi-
cacy of using BDD with agile teams that do not use it
and may prove its ease of adoption in a real context.
4 METHODOLOGY
4.1 Case Study
The research was conducted in a private Brazil-
ian company operating in the cybersecurity software
development sector. It involved four development
1
https://encurtador.com.br/4qBWg.
2
https://encurtador.com.br/r6qha.
3
https://www.mdpi.com/2674-113X/3/3/14.
4
This study is under review in a Journal.
WEBIST 2025 - 21st International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies
142
teams, totaling 56 participants. Each team consisted
of approximately 10 to 15 members, with a designated
team leader responsible for consolidating the acquired
knowledge and representing the team in the final eval-
uations.
The study began with a presentation by one of the
researchers introducing the BDD adoption guidelines.
This presentation covered the BDD development cy-
cle, its key concepts, best practices, and the use of
prompts for large language models (LLMs) and re-
lated tools. Following this introduction, participants
engaged in a hands-on workshop, allowing them to
experiment directly with the proposed approach and
tools.
After the introductory phase, teams applied the
guidelines and tools over six sprints, each lasting 15
days. The researchers remained available throughout
the study to clarify doubts and provide technical sup-
port; however, no direct intervention was necessary.
At the end of the study period, team leaders com-
pleted a structured questionnaire to evaluate the appli-
cability and effectiveness of the adopted guidelines.
4.2 Survey
A survey was conducted using structured question-
naires to collect insights and validate the adoption of
the BDD guidelines. This method helps understand
group behaviour and experiences in a given context
and is widely employed in empirical studies due to its
ease of application and low operational cost (Punter
et al., 2003).
The questionnaire consisted of 13 closed-ended
questions, structured as described in Table 2 and was
designed to gather data on the teams’ experiences
throughout the six sprints, addressing aspects such as
the clarity of the guidelines, the usefulness of LLM
prompts, the impact on development quality, and the
challenges encountered during BDD adoption. The
research followed an exploratory approach (Wohlin
et al., 2006), aiming to identify relevant information
that could contribute to refining the proposed guide-
lines and improving their applicability in agile teams.
5 RESULTS
Through the studies carried out by the authors men-
tioned in Section 2, it was possible to outline guide-
lines for the adoption of Behavior-Driven Develop-
ment (BDD). The guidelines were summarized in Fig-
ure 1.
Regarding the human/behavioral aspect, it is pos-
sible to observe 5 points:
Adoption of BDD for functional and non-
functional requirements: since BDD is a frame-
work used throughout the software life cycle, it
is possible to adopt it both for eliciting functional
and non-functional requirements;
3 amigos meeting: initial meeting held by the
product owner, tester, and developer to idealize
what is expected of the functionalities inherent to
the software development;
Scenario review: necessary review inherent to the
software development process to see if what is be-
ing developed is following what is expected of the
final product;
Standardization of communication between stake-
holders: use of everyday language without the
need for jargon or technical terms;
Adoption of writing standards: to maintain every-
one’s understanding of what is being discussed.
Regarding the technological aspects, 3 points are
presented:
Adoption of BDD with the Gherkin standard: to
contribute to the standardization of the steps in-
herent to the use of BDD, that is, the terms “given,
when, then” used in the requirements elicitation
stage;
Use of LLMs to support writing and automa-
tion: BDD can contribute to the refinement of
the prompt to bring quality to the delivery of the
output performed by the LLM. Part of the soft-
ware development process was automated, an as-
pect that contributed to the adoption of BDD;
Living documentation: documentation of the code
performed concomitantly with its development so
that it is not a stage performed only when the final
product is delivered.
Figure 1 presents 13 points which were used for
serving as the basis for the questionnaire applied to
the target team of this study. Since the team had
not used BDD before, creating a script to understand
the topics presented in the questions was necessary.
The script is expressed in a Figure which can be seen
here
5
and presents the components that it indicates as
good practices for adopting BDD. The script guided
respondents with basic terms in the context of BDD,
such as gherkin language.
5
https://encurtador.com.br/DORLK
Guidelines for Adopting Behavior-Driven Development (BDD): A Case Study
143
Table 2: Survey Questions.
Question Definition Justification
SQ1 Did BDD achieve the team’s goal? Evaluate BDD effectiveness.
SQ2 How easy was it to adopt BDD in develop-
ment?
Assess understanding and learning curve.
SQ3 Is BDD useful as technological support? Analyze supportiveness in development.
SQ4 Is the Gherkin pattern effective with BDD? Evaluate Gherkin clarity and usage.
SQ5 How useful is LLM for writing BDD scenar-
ios?
Assess writing support using LLMs.
SQ6 How useful is LLM for automating tests in
BDD?
Analyze LLM impact on test automation.
SQ7 Does BDD enhance living documentation? Emphasize its role in up-to-date docs.
SQ8 Does BDD improve human interactions? Explore human-centered aspects.
SQ9 Is BDD effective for requirement elicitation? Assess BDD in gathering requirements.
SQ10 Does BDD aid in “3 amigos” meetings? Analyze alignment and collaboration.
SQ11 Is BDD helpful in scenario reviews? Examine ease of scenario refinement.
SQ12 Does BDD improve stakeholder communica-
tion?
Discuss communication facilitation.
SQ13 Does BDD promote standardized writing? Evaluate consistency in expressions.
5.1 Survey Results
5.1.1 SQ1 - Did BDD Manage to Achieve the
Objective Expected by the Team?
The responses obtained were 50% for yes, 50% for
partially, and no response for no. One of the re-
spondents added the following comment on the use
of BDD.
BDD was an effective tool for achieving the
team’s technical goals, such as increasing
clarity in requirements and promoting the cre-
ation of automated tests based on use cases.
However, a significant part of the goals were
not achieved, and this was not due to the BDD
methodology but rather to the lack of inte-
gration and collaboration between the devel-
opment team and stakeholders. The lack of
consistent alignment between both parties re-
sulted in a lack of communication and com-
promised delivery of some expected benefits.
Therefore, the problem is not with BDD but
stakeholders’ lack of support and active in-
volvement throughout the process.
The adoption of BDD itself is not a problem for
teams that do not use it, but rather the collaboration
between stakeholders so that it can directly affect the
quality of the final product. Through the script pre-
sented before, it is possible, in theory, to achieve the
expected objective from the software’s behavior.
From questions SQ2 to SQ13, the response op-
tions, following the Linkert scale, were very bad, bad,
good, very good, and excellent.
5.1.2 SQ2 - What Is Your Perception Regarding
the Adoption of BDD for Software
Development?
The responses obtained were 50% for excellent, and
50% for very good. From the point of view of the 4
team leaders, the adoption of BDD occurs satisfacto-
rily in the context of software development.
5.1.3 SQ3 - What Is Your Perception Regarding
the Adoption of BDD as Technological
Support?
The responses obtained were 50% for very good, and
50% for good. We were able to ingest positive aspects
in the adoption of BDD as technical support, given its
adoption in a succinct and easy-to-understand manner
among stakeholders.
5.1.4 SQ4 - What Is Your Perception Regarding
the Adoption of BDD with the Gherkin
Pattern?
The responses obtained were 50% for very good,
25% for excellent, and 25% for good. Using the
Gherkin pattern, it is possible to achieve the expected
behavior of the software more directly than with tra-
ditional frameworks. Thus, using the Gherkin pattern
can bring quality to software development and save
time since rework can be reduced, and the time spent
redoing one step of the process can be used in other
steps.
WEBIST 2025 - 21st International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies
144
Figure 1: Mind map for BDD adoption.
5.1.5 SQ5 - What Is Your Perception Regarding
the Adoption of BDD Using
Large-Language Models (LLM) to
Support Writing?
The responses obtained were 50% for very good, and
50% for good. Using prompts written in a way that
is appropriate to the desired behavior of the software,
BDD can contribute to requirements elicitation and
test automation. As shown in the Figure 1, BDD can
enhance its capabilities using LLMs when used cor-
rectly.
5.1.6 SQ6 - What Is Your Perception Regarding
the Adoption of BDD Using LLM to
Support Test Automation?
The responses obtained were 50% for very good, and
50% for good. Using BDD together with LLMs can
contribute to the quality of the final product since
the monotonous work of requirements elicitation, for
example, can be automated through new or reused
prompts for specific software behaviors.
5.1.7 SQ7 - What Is Your Perception Regarding
the Adoption of BDD in Relation to Living
Documentation?
The responses obtained were 50% for very good,
25% for excellent, and 25% good. Software docu-
mentation is an essential step, as any other step, in
developing software, although it is often neglected.
By having documentation carried out simultaneously
with software development, there are benefits such as
generating savings if it is necessary to return the soft-
ware to a certain point where there was no bug, for
example, because with documentation, it is known
precisely what, why and how a particular step in the
process was done.
5.1.8 SQ8 - What Is Your Perception Regarding
the Adoption of BDD in
Human/Behavioral Relationships?
The responses obtained were 50% for good, 25%
for very good, and 25% bad. The need for stake-
holder participation in software development is es-
sential. For software to be developed correctly and
to meet stakeholder requirements, stakeholders must
be present at meetings required during the develop-
ment process to validate whether what is being done is
what stakeholders expect. When stakeholders neglect
development, the possibility of delivering unsatisfac-
tory software is greater than if they had participated
during the process.
5.1.9 SQ9 - What Is Your Perception Regarding
the Adoption of BDD to Elicit Functional
and Non-Functional Requirements?
The responses obtained were 50% for very good,
25% for excellent, and 25% good. Non-functional
requirements are more complex than functional re-
quirements. The requirements elicitation stage needs
to be well defined so that the software achieves the
behaviors expected by stakeholders. In the elicitation
of non-functional requirements, it is necessary to have
clarity and conciseness in the requirements, given the
Guidelines for Adopting Behavior-Driven Development (BDD): A Case Study
145
need to translate them into testable scenarios. The
gherkin language of BDD contributes to the required
conciseness inherent in eliciting non-functional re-
quirements.
5.1.10 SQ10 - What Is Your Perception
Regarding the Adoption of BDD for the
“3 Amigos” Meeting?
The responses obtained were 75% for good, and 25%
for bad. The “3 friends” meeting was one of the
guidelines we identified for adopting BDD. Although
it is an essential step for its execution, it is vital that
the design made by the product owner, developers,
and testers is harmonious since if the meeting is not
well done, this will reflect negatively on the subse-
quent stages of software development, and features
may be built for pains that do not exist.
5.1.11 SQ11 - What Is Your Perception
Regarding the Adoption of BDD on
Scenarios Review?
The responses obtained were 25% for excellent, 25%
for very good, 25% for good, and 25% for bad. BDD
uses user stories created with testable scenarios once
requirements that can be implemented in the software
are elicited. Reviewing these scenarios is objective
to the proposed requirement since the Gherkin lan-
guage is done directly. It is important to emphasize
the need for adequate writing for the elicitation of
requirements since the review of scenarios is an ad-
ditional step to guarantee the final product’s quality,
and it is not necessary to carry out the requirements
elicitation step in its entirety once again.
5.1.12 SQ12 - What Is Your Perception
Regarding the Adoption of BDD in
Relation to Communication Between
Stakeholders?
The responses obtained were 50% for good, 25% for
excellent, and 25% for bad. For the final product to
be high quality, all those involved must actively par-
ticipate in developing the software. Suppose some
parts do not understand their role in the process. In
that case, the software will likely fail to achieve sat-
isfactory quality since each stakeholder plays a dif-
ferent role. The communication proposed by BDD is
that the process be carried out clearly with all stake-
holders. If communication is flawed or presents am-
biguities, the adoption of BDD is not being done cor-
rectly.
5.1.13 SQ13 - What Is Your Perception
Regarding the Adoption of BDD in
Relation to Standardized Writing?
The responses obtained were 75% for excellent, and
25% for very good. Standardized writing facilitates
stakeholders’ understanding during the software de-
velopment process. The use of jargon, for example,
can make it difficult for stakeholders from different
fields to understand. BDD must be adopted using
everyday language, without technical terms, so ev-
eryone can understand what a given part of the soft-
ware needs to achieve, for example. Using the “given,
when, then” pattern helps to assertively deliver the re-
quirement so that it is outlined within a testable sce-
nario.
5.2 Research Questions
5.2.1 Q1 - What Are the Guidelines Inherent to
Adopting BDD?
The guidelines for adopting BDD are presented in
Figure 1. These guidelines were outlined through
a Systematic Multivocal Literature Review, a Case
Study, a Survey, and an Experiment. The adoption
of BDD can contribute to the quality of the software
as long as it is carried out correctly and follows the
guidelines presented. This work can guide compa-
nies that are not using BDD in their work activities to
adopt it in the software development process.
5.2.2 Q2 - Did BDD Achieve the Expected
Purpose Concerning Software
Development?
As we can see in the survey results, BDD presents
positive aspects in all steps of its implementation,
seen by the team leaders as a framework that promotes
quality for the final product. The point that all four
respondents mentioned as unfavorable concerning the
adoption of BDD was regarding the interaction be-
tween stakeholders, so the problem lies in something
other than BDD itself, but rather in the communica-
tion between the partakers.
5.2.3 Q3 - What Is the Respondents Perception
that Adopted BDD for this Case Study?
The survey showed positive results in all questions ex-
cept for specific responses related to interpersonal re-
lationships and scenarios review. Suppose BDD is not
transparent to all stakeholders. In that case, the proba-
bility of the software being developed in a way that is
not expected is greater than when the functionalities
WEBIST 2025 - 21st International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies
146
have precise purposes. An additional comment was
made by one of the participants regarding the Meet-
ing of the “3 Amigos”.
We noticed a lack of genuine collaboration
in the “3 Amigos” meeting, which was sup-
posed to facilitate alignment between devel-
opers, testers, and business stakeholders. Al-
though the physical presence of participants
was guaranteed, active participation and en-
gagement, especially from a business perspec-
tive, were insufficient. This created gaps in
understanding between the development team
and stakeholders, leaving some issues open
and compromising the clarity needed for agile
and well-directed development. In this format,
the meeting could benefit from more detailed
preparation and more proactive involvement
of business representatives.
Once again, the lack of collaboration from one of
the parties was mentioned negatively concerning the
adoption of BDD. Suppose the meeting of the “3 ami-
gos” is not outlined correctly. In that case, there will
likely be problems in the behaviors developed for the
software since the functionalities were not elicited ob-
jectively.
Therefore, the perception of team leaders regard-
ing adopting BDD is positive. The problem men-
tioned only occurs concerning the communications
required during the process.
5.2.4 Q4 - Are the Guidelines Presented
Effective for Adopting BDD?
Yes, the guidelines presented are effective. Adopt-
ing BDD has proven effective for teams that are not
using it in their software development activities. Be-
cause it has an everyday language, it has shown that
when used correctly, as shown in the Figure, BDD
contributes to the quality of the delivery of the final
product.
The crucial point raised by all respondents was the
lack of communication between stakeholders. One of
the respondents made an additional comment.
BDD provides a good basis for improving
communication between stakeholders, as it
transforms business requirements into lan-
guage accessible to both the development
team and those involved. However, we real-
ized that the process could be optimized us-
ing visual tools and a more interactive ap-
proach, simplifying communication and main-
taining stakeholders’ interest over time. For
example, adopting diagrams or visual dash-
boards could facilitate the understanding of
usage scenarios and promote more fluid and
efficient interaction between stakeholders and
the development team.
It is interesting to highlight the recommendation
of one of the respondents regarding using visual me-
dia for better collaboration among stakeholders, given
the perceived failure in communication. The respon-
dents viewed the guidelines positively, so the main
obstacle was how stakeholders neglected communi-
cation during software development.
6 DISCUSSIONS
As a framework used throughout the software life cy-
cle, BDD can go through the steps of the software de-
velopment process, from elicitation to documentation
of requirements. It is important to realize how com-
plete BDD is, with a standardized language that helps
both in testing and in the validity and verification of
features, assuming an essential role in software qual-
ity.
Just Santos et al. (Santos et al., 2024), we were
able to verify the effectiveness of BDD through a case
study, in this case, the effectiveness of the guidelines
that involve its adoption. There is a need to improve
communication between stakeholders so that BDD
can present the maximum positive results.
Binamungo and Maro (Binamungu and Maro,
2023) sought to analyze the state of the art that BDD
was in, while Kudo et al. (Kudo et al., 2023) showed
the need for aligned writing standards for require-
ments and tests. Our study was able to advance the
understanding of BDD regarding the visual need that
can be implemented concerning stakeholders, as well
as showing the benefits of standardized writing that
BDD has.
Through the responses obtained, we observed that
the only point to be improved does not concern BDD,
and all four respondents stated this, but the need for
collaboration on the part of stakeholders. There is no
point in the team being competent in its activities if
no stakeholders can validate what is being developed,
so the chance of functionalities being developed cor-
rectly, but for problems that do not exist is high.
It is essential to highlight that the only negative
point regarding adopting BDD is not directly linked
to the framework but to the stakeholders who leave
the development process at the mercy of the technical
team. For BDD to be used with quality, all parties in-
volved in the process must be aligned so that everyone
commonly understands the objective. The suggestion
of one of the respondents who mentioned using dash-
boards could be beneficial in this context, as it helps
Guidelines for Adopting Behavior-Driven Development (BDD): A Case Study
147
stakeholders understand.
7 CONCLUSION
The main point we observed through the survey used
in this case study was the perception that when adopt-
ing BDD for software development, the point that
needs to be improved is due to the commitment of
stakeholders, given the need to validate what the team
has done. All parties involved in software develop-
ment are essential, as each one plays a different role.
If there is no client to verify the features being devel-
oped, the features will likely end up achieving pur-
poses that do not exist.
The main contribution of this study is to show that
even though BDD presents itself as a framework for
effective use in software development if there is inad-
equate communication between the team and external
stakeholders, the delivery of the final product will suf-
fer negative consequences. Furthermore, the recom-
mendation of one of the respondents to use diagrams
and dashboards to help visualize external stakehold-
ers is a crucial point to be mentioned, as it can lead to
a significant improvement in the communication in-
herent to the process.
As suggestions for future work, an experiment
could be carried out with teams that use BDD, us-
ing diagrams and dashboards with a focus on under-
standing and interacting with external stakeholders.
This way, we can analyze whether the use of these
resources present improvements to the development
process of the software.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Shexmo Santos would like to thank CAPES for the
financial support (Bolsa de mestrado process no.
88887.888613/2023-00).
REFERENCES
Binamungu, L. P. and Maro, S. (2023). Behaviour driven
development: A systematic mapping study. Journal
of Systems and Software, 203:111749.
Kudo, T. N., Bulc
˜
ao-Neto, R. d. F., Neto, V. V. G., and Vin-
cenzi, A. M. R. (2023). Aligning requirements and
testing through metamodeling and patterns: design
and evaluation. Requirements Engineering, 28(1):97–
115.
North, D. (2006). Introducing BDD.
https://dannorth.net/introducing-bdd/.
Pereira, L., Sharp, H., de Souza, C., Oliveira, G., Marczak,
S., and Bastos, R. (2018). Behavior-Driven Develop-
ment benefits and challenges: reports from an indus-
trial study. In Proceedings of the 19th International
Conference on Agile Software Development: Com-
panion, pages 1–4.
Punter, T., Ciolkowski, M., Freimut, B., and John, I. (2003).
Conducting on-line surveys in software engineering.
In 2003 International Symposium on Empirical Soft-
ware Engineering, 2003. ISESE 2003. Proceedings.,
pages 80–88. IEEE.
Rajbhoj, A., Somase, A., Kulkarni, P., and Kulkarni, V.
(2024). Accelerating software development using
generative ai: Chatgpt case study. In Proceedings of
the 17th Innovations in Software Engineering Confer-
ence, ISEC ’24, New York, NY, USA. Association for
Computing Machinery.
Santos, S., Pimentel, T., Rocha, F. G., and Soares, M. S.
(2024). Using behavior-driven development (bdd) for
non-functional requirements. Software, 3(3):271–283.
Wohlin, C., H
¨
ost, M., and Henningsson, K. (2006). Empir-
ical research methods in web and software engineer-
ing. Web engineering, pages 409–430.
Wohlin, C., Runeson, P., H
¨
ost, M., Ohlsson, M. C., Reg-
nell, B., and Wessl
´
en, A. (2012). Experimentation in
software engineering. Springer Science & Business
Media.
WEBIST 2025 - 21st International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies
148