Preparation phase in review process is followed by
In my earlier blog, I explained different techniques under Static testing. Static testing includes a review process to verify that are we following the right way to achieve the goal or not. If these reviews session starts in the early phase of software life cycle then it is easy to identify the defects in the requirement. Defect identification at the initial stage also affects the cost of the application as the rework cost of the defect to fix things are often low in these cases. The formal review establishes an effective way to improve the productivity of all team members by maintaining an interactive environment within the team. Moreover, receiving feedback from each team member evaluates the effectiveness of the running process and activities performed in the team. Static testing or reviews enable the development team to focus on quality work. Jump to Section
Type of ReviewA formal review can be of either technical review or non-technical review. Although the technical review is a type of formal review, it is not as formal as the inspection meeting. A technical review refers to a session in which the main focus of discussion is technical stuff used in software development. This technical stuff can be a design document, code section, technical architectural document. Technical review is generally held for identifying the area of improvement at the technical level of software. A trained moderator or a technical expert is the leader of the technical review. All technical experts such as technical architects, technical leads, designers, and senior developers are different participants of a technical review. The main objectives of a technical review are to verify that:
Phases of a Formal ReviewThere are basically six main steps in a formal review. These steps are:
The purpose and execution process of each step is different. Lets have a look at the detailed information of each step one by one. PlanningPlanning is the very first step of a formal review when an author sends a request for review to the leader. A leader can be an inspection leader or moderator. A leader is then responsible for organizing the inspection meeting. For organizing this meeting, the leader takes care of the timing, place, and duration of that session. In the planning session, the main focus is to allocate time for all activities related to reviewing process. The team prepares a checklist with the following points in this session:
Kick-OffKick-off is the first session when all team members participate in the meeting. The main objective of the kick-off meeting is to provide information to all team members and get everybody at the same level of information. The following activities performed during the Kick-off meeting:
PreparationPreparation refers to a phase when all team members act as per roles assigned to them in Kick-off meetings. For this purpose, they work on all documents that come under the review process by analyzing reference documents. In case any team memberhas any question, concern related to information provided in reference document then he/she note down that point for presenting that in the main review meeting, which is next phase of formal review. These points play a very important role while preparing a checklist for further phases of formal reviews. Review MeetingA review meeting consists of three different phases:
ReworkOn the basis of the decision made in the formal review meeting, the author or scribe updates the document and other team members work on the assigned defect. As the defect gets fixed, the scribe or author rework the document and update it as fixes are performed. New tasks can also be assigned to few members so that process moves forward without any delay. Follow-UpThis session is an ending session of a formal review when all defects got resolved. A moderator ensures that information in the document is correct and can be followed in the future. Apart from this, the moderator is also responsible to:
A person who belongs to the IT industry and works in software development processes must be aware of the formal review process. Knowledge of formal review meetings is a must for all senior members of a team. Reviews also help reduce the extra work pressure of managing things. In review sessions, team members share a list of defects. This blog helps you to understand each and every activity performed during the different phases of a formal review.
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