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3.2-Review process

3.2.1 - Work Product Review Process

The review process comprises the following main activities:

Review process

  • Planning

    • Defining the scope, which includes the purpose of the review, what documents or parts of documents to review, and the quality characteristics to be evaluated
    • Estimating effort and timeframe
    • Identifying review characteristics such as the review type with roles, activities, and checklists
    • Selecting the people to participate in the review and allocating roles
    • Defining the entry and exit criteria for more formal review types (e.g., inspections)
    • Checking that entry criteria are met (for more formal review types)

  • Initiate review

    • Distributing the work product (physically or by electronic means) and other material, such as issue log forms, checklists, and related work products
    • Explaining the scope, objectives, process, roles, and work products to the participants
    • Answering any questions that participants may have about the review

  • Individual review (i.e., individual preparation)

    • Reviewing all or part of the work product
    • Noting potential defects, recommendations, and questions

  • Issue communication and analysis

    • Communicating identified potential defects (e.g., in a review meeting)
      • Analyzing potential defects, assigning ownership and status to them
      • Evaluating and documenting quality characteristics
      • Evaluating the review findings against the exit criteria to make a review decision (reject; major changes needed.

  • Fixing and reporting

    • Creating defect reports for those findings that require changes to a work product
    • Fixing defects found (typically done by the author) in the work product reviewed
    • Communicating defects to the appropriate person or team (when found in a work product related to the work product reviewed)
    • Recording updated status of defects (in formal reviews), potentially including the agreement of the comment originator
    • Gathering metrics (for more formal review types)

3.2.2 - Roles and Responsibilities in a formal review

Tool support for Performance measurementy

3.2.3 - Review Types

Tool support for Performance measurementy

3.2.4 - Applying Review Techniques

Adhoc

Checklist Based

Scenario and Dry runs

Perspective based

Role based

3.2.5 - Success Factors for Reviews

Each review has clear objectives, defined during review planning, and used as measurable exit criteria

  • Review types are applied which are suitable to achieve the objectives and are appropriate to the type and level of software work products and participants
  • Any review techniques used, such as checklist-based or role-based reviewing, are suitable for effective defect identification in the work product to be reviewed
  • Any checklists used address the main risks and are up to date
  • Large documents are written and reviewed in small chunks, so that quality control is exercised by providing authors early and frequent feedback on defects
  • Participants have adequate time to prepare
  • Reviews are scheduled with adequate notice
Last update: 2022-08-21