Eval-driven Development
The short answer · 11 words
In short
Eval-driven Development uses defined evaluations as ongoing development and approval criteria.
Flow-alerta.cab (2026): Eval-driven Development. https://flow-alerta.cab/en/glossar/eval-driven-development. Editorially reviewed on: 10 October 2026.
How much detail would you like?
Practical
Practice reduces blind flight during prompt, data, retrieval and model changes.
Hypothetical example: A support agent may only be rolled out if critical test cases and security limits pass.
SMEs can maintain small, versioned gold sets from real-world tasks as a quality gate.
At a glance
- Core
- Test cases and metrics are created early, changes are repeatedly checked and regressions are made visible before the rollout. The term is a practice, not a uniform standard.
- Use
- Practice reduces blind flight during prompt, data, retrieval and model changes.
- Example
- Hypothetical example: A support agent may only be rolled out if critical test cases and security limits pass.
- Limits
- Optimize metric instead of user target; over-adjust test set; no human sample; ignore production drift.
In context
Questions about this term
Is EDD an official standard?
No.
Do all tests have to be automatic?
No, human evaluation is often necessary.
All details and background
Test cases and metrics are created early, changes are repeatedly checked and regressions are made visible before the rollout. The term is a practice, not a uniform standard.
ELI5 – Explained simply
Like test-driven development, but for probabilistic AI outputs and its risks.
Why it matters in practice
Practice reduces blind flight during prompt, data, retrieval and model changes.
Example
Hypothetical example: A support agent may only be rolled out if critical test cases and security limits pass.
Pitfalls and limits
- Optimize metric instead of user target; over-adjust test set; no human sample; ignore production drift.
Origin & history
OpenAI recommends in its evaluation guide to check early and frequently, write task-specific tests, and match automatic evaluations with human feedback.
Use in mid-sized companies
- SMEs can maintain small, versioned gold sets from real-world tasks as a quality gate.
Related terms
- Evaluation framework
- Regression test
- Goldset
- MLOs
- LLMOps
Matching Flow-alerta service
AI opportunity analysis & roadmapAI consulting: Schedule repeatable tests and reviews for changes to an AI use case.Matching tool / use case
View use casesUse Case: automated regression tests plus expert review before releasesSources
Quellenprüfung: 10.10.2026. Definition und dokumentierte Einordnung abgeglichen; Beispiele beschreiben mögliche Anwendungen.
Editorially reviewed on: