Peer Reviews in Software
A Practical Guide
Published on 5. November 2001
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-201-73485-0 (ISBN)
Description
Peer review works: it leads to better software. But implementing peer review can be challenging -- for technical, political, social, cultural, and psychological reasons. In this book, best-selling software engineering author Karl Wiegers presents succinct, easy-to-use techniques for formal and informal software peer review, helping project managers and developers choose the right approach and implement it successfully. Wiegers begins by discussing the cultural and social aspects of peer review, and reviewing several formal and informal approaches: their implications, their challenges, and the opportunities they present for quality improvement. The heart of the book is an in-depth look at the "nuts and bolts" of inspection, including the roles of inspectors, planning, examining work products, conducting code review meetings; improving the inspection process, and achieving closure. Wiegers presents a full chapter on metrics, and then addresses the process and political challenges associated with implementing successful software review programs. The book concludes with solutions to special review challenges, including large work products and software created by distributed development teams. For all developers, project managers, business analysts, quality engineers, testers, process improvement leaders, and documentation specialists.
More details
Persons
Karl E. Wiegers, Ph.D., is Principal Consultant with Process Impact, a software process consulting and education company. He previously spent eighteen years at Eastman Kodak Company, where he held positions as a software applications developer, software manager, and software process and quality improvement leader. Karl has been participating in and leading software peer reviews throughout his extensive career.
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Content
Preface.
My Objectives.
Intended Audience.
Reading Suggestions.
Acknowledgments.
1. The Quality Challenge.
Looking Over the Shoulder.
Quality Isn't Quite Free.
Justifying Peer Reviews.
Peer Reviews, Testing, and Quality Tools.
What Can Be Reviewed.
A Personal Commitment to Quality.
2. A Little Help from Your Friends.
Scratch Each Other's Back.
Reviews and Team Culture.
The Influence of Culture.
Reviews and Managers.
Why People Don't Do Reviews.
Overcoming Resistance to Reviews.
Peer Review Sophistication Scale.
Planning for Reviews.
Guiding Principles for Reviews.
3. Peer Review Formality Spectrum.
The Formality Spectrum.
Inspection.
Team Review.
Walkthrough.
Pair Programming.
Peer Deskcheck.
Passaround.
Ad Hoc Review.
Choosing a Review Approach.
4. The Inspection Process.
Inspector Roles.
The Author's Role.
To Read or Not To Read.
Inspection Team Size.
Inspection Process Stages.
Planning.
Overview.
Preparation.
Meeting.
Rework.
Follow-up.
Causal Analysis.
Variations on the Inspection Theme.
Gilb/Graham Method.
High-Impact Inspection.
Phased Inspections.
5. Planning the Inspection.
When to Hold Inspections.
The Inspection Moderator.
Selecting the Material.
Inspection Entry Criteria.
Assembling the Cast.
Inspector Perspectives.
Managers and Observers.
The Inspection Package.
Inspection Rates.
Scheduling Inspection Events.
6. Examining the Work Product.
The Overview Stage.
The Preparation Stage.
Preparation Approaches.
Defect Checklists.
Other Analysis Techniques.
7. Putting Your Heads Together.
The Moderator's Role.
Launching the Meeting.
Conducting the Meeting.
Reading the Work Product.
Raising Defects and Issues.
Recording Defects and Issues.
Watching for Problems.
Product Appraisal.
Closing the Meeting.
Improving the Inspection Process.
8. Bringing Closure.
The Rework Stage.
The Follow-Up Stage.
The Causal Analysis Stage.
Inspection Exit Criteria.
9. Analyzing Inspection Data.
Why Collect Data?
Some Measurement Caveats.
Basic Data Items and Metrics.
The Inspection Database.
Data Analysis.
Measuring the Impact of Inspections.
Effectiveness.
Efficiency.
Return on Investment.
10. Installing a Peer Review Program.
The Peer Review Process Owner.
Preparing the Organization.
Process Assets.
The Peer Review Coordinator.
Peer Review Training.
Piloting the Review Process.
11. Making Peer Reviews Work for You.
Critical Success Factors.
Review Traps to Avoid.
Troubleshooting Review Problems.
12. Special Review Challenges.
Large Work Products.
Geographical or Time Separation.
Distributed Review Meeting.
Asynchronous Review.
Generated and Nonprocedural Code.
Too Many Participants.
No Qualified Reviewers Available.
Epilogue.
Appendix A: Peer Reviews and Process Improvement Models.
Capability Maturity Model for Software.
Goals of the Peer Reviews Key Process Area.
Activities Performed.
Commitment to Perform.
Ability to Perform.
Measurement and Analysis.
Verifying Implementation.
Systems Engineering Capability Maturity Model.
CMMI-SE/SW.
Prepare for Peer Reviews.
Conduct Peer Reviews.
Analyze Peer Review Data.
ISO 9000-3.
Appendix B: Supplemental Materials.
Work Aids.
Other Peer Review Resources.
Glossary.
Index.
My Objectives.
Intended Audience.
Reading Suggestions.
Acknowledgments.
1. The Quality Challenge.
Looking Over the Shoulder.
Quality Isn't Quite Free.
Justifying Peer Reviews.
Peer Reviews, Testing, and Quality Tools.
What Can Be Reviewed.
A Personal Commitment to Quality.
2. A Little Help from Your Friends.
Scratch Each Other's Back.
Reviews and Team Culture.
The Influence of Culture.
Reviews and Managers.
Why People Don't Do Reviews.
Overcoming Resistance to Reviews.
Peer Review Sophistication Scale.
Planning for Reviews.
Guiding Principles for Reviews.
3. Peer Review Formality Spectrum.
The Formality Spectrum.
Inspection.
Team Review.
Walkthrough.
Pair Programming.
Peer Deskcheck.
Passaround.
Ad Hoc Review.
Choosing a Review Approach.
4. The Inspection Process.
Inspector Roles.
The Author's Role.
To Read or Not To Read.
Inspection Team Size.
Inspection Process Stages.
Planning.
Overview.
Preparation.
Meeting.
Rework.
Follow-up.
Causal Analysis.
Variations on the Inspection Theme.
Gilb/Graham Method.
High-Impact Inspection.
Phased Inspections.
5. Planning the Inspection.
When to Hold Inspections.
The Inspection Moderator.
Selecting the Material.
Inspection Entry Criteria.
Assembling the Cast.
Inspector Perspectives.
Managers and Observers.
The Inspection Package.
Inspection Rates.
Scheduling Inspection Events.
6. Examining the Work Product.
The Overview Stage.
The Preparation Stage.
Preparation Approaches.
Defect Checklists.
Other Analysis Techniques.
7. Putting Your Heads Together.
The Moderator's Role.
Launching the Meeting.
Conducting the Meeting.
Reading the Work Product.
Raising Defects and Issues.
Recording Defects and Issues.
Watching for Problems.
Product Appraisal.
Closing the Meeting.
Improving the Inspection Process.
8. Bringing Closure.
The Rework Stage.
The Follow-Up Stage.
The Causal Analysis Stage.
Inspection Exit Criteria.
9. Analyzing Inspection Data.
Why Collect Data?
Some Measurement Caveats.
Basic Data Items and Metrics.
The Inspection Database.
Data Analysis.
Measuring the Impact of Inspections.
Effectiveness.
Efficiency.
Return on Investment.
10. Installing a Peer Review Program.
The Peer Review Process Owner.
Preparing the Organization.
Process Assets.
The Peer Review Coordinator.
Peer Review Training.
Piloting the Review Process.
11. Making Peer Reviews Work for You.
Critical Success Factors.
Review Traps to Avoid.
Troubleshooting Review Problems.
12. Special Review Challenges.
Large Work Products.
Geographical or Time Separation.
Distributed Review Meeting.
Asynchronous Review.
Generated and Nonprocedural Code.
Too Many Participants.
No Qualified Reviewers Available.
Epilogue.
Appendix A: Peer Reviews and Process Improvement Models.
Capability Maturity Model for Software.
Goals of the Peer Reviews Key Process Area.
Activities Performed.
Commitment to Perform.
Ability to Perform.
Measurement and Analysis.
Verifying Implementation.
Systems Engineering Capability Maturity Model.
CMMI-SE/SW.
Prepare for Peer Reviews.
Conduct Peer Reviews.
Analyze Peer Review Data.
ISO 9000-3.
Appendix B: Supplemental Materials.
Work Aids.
Other Peer Review Resources.
Glossary.
Index.