Steps for a successful code review

23Jan 2021 by richard@baronsoftware.com

Successful programming teams always have followed department or company guidelines on how code reviews should be done. Technical specifications provide the programmer the initial steps for application development. Excellent specifications provide insight on libraries and APIs. The coding standards should be part of this document.

Preparing for a code review

Self checking items:

  • What are the company policies ?
  • Did you follow company coding standards ?
  • Have you read the company guidelines ?
  • Did the code successfully compile ?
  • Was testing successful ?
  • Check for duplicate code or very large functions and procedures.

These steps should be adhere to by any programmer. Code should be formatted and indented. Comments listed at the top of the module providing a brief description along with update history.

You must be able to accept any type of criticism. This usually helps you to become a better developer.

Code review leadership

A supervisor or team leader is a person who can clearly review code. The task is not to degrade or demean a programmer. You can provide positive criticism. Skillset of displaying better methods of coding.

A coding lifecycle begins with the initial specification on what needs to be done. The process is first review by the leadership followed by the coding staff. Some necessary steps are group meetings and status reports.

What really needs to be reviewed ?

  • Company or department coding guidelines.
  • Naming conventions.
  • Formatting.
  • Procedures, functions, methods too large ?
  • Did the code compile ?
  • Code follows business rules ?
  • Performance analysis
  • Code security.
  • Code stored in a safe repository ?

Conclusion

Code review is essential for the production of efficient code that meets business requirements. Effective code reviews will provide a stronger application design and development environment. Strong software skills are necessary for the team leader. All programmers have to prepare for a code review, follow guidelines and accept critical feedback.