What is the purpose of running executable specifications in behavior-driven development?

Running executable specifications in behavior-driven development serves a crucial role in ensuring that the features of a software application meet the defined behavioral requirements. This approach bridges the gap between technical and non-technical team members by allowing them to collaborate on the understanding of how the software should behave.

Executable specifications are often written in a language that is easily understandable for all stakeholders involved, often using natural language combined with programming constructs. This allows teams to validate that the implemented features do indeed align with the user's expectations and business objectives, essentially serving as both documentation and a testing framework. By executing these specifications, developers can identify and address any discrepancies between the intended behavior and the actual implementation, which ultimately helps deliver high-quality software that fulfills user needs and requirements.

The other options address different aspects of software development but do not directly relate to the core function of executable specifications in behavior-driven development. For instance, enhancing user interfaces focuses on visual and interaction design rather than behavioral validation, while monitoring system usage pertains to tracking how users interact with the software. Similarly, improving system security is concerned with vulnerability and protection measures, which is outside the scope of validating behavioral requirements.