Once you are ready to begin creating a new package, we recommend the following order:

1. **Write the `README`**. README first development helps you identify use cases, clarify intended behavior and edge cases, and refine package scope and intent.

3. **Write examples**. The `README` should include a main example which can be immediately transferred to a main example file. Other examples may explore additional methods, edge cases, and uses.

4. **Write the implementation**. While some will argue that tests should come before the implementation, our experience is that writing an implementation against the example is nearly as effective and requires less upfront investment when ideas are still being formed. We too often write tests and then write an implementation against those tests, only to realize that the approach is flawed, necessitating two refactorings, rather than one. Accordingly, our general recommendation is README/example driven development, but you are free to pursue the approach which bests suits your tastes and workflow.

5. **Write benchmarks**. Benchmarks typically require less work than unit tests, but they often help flag potential performance cliffs and a need to rethink a particular approach and implementation. In our experience, writing benchmarks before tests helps minimize the number, and extent, of refactorings.