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Code Review Advantages: A Guide for Tech Teams

Code review is the process of looking at the code and its quality to find places to improve (called "code smells"), bugs, errors, and parts of the code that might not meet the organization's quality standards.

Like any other human innovation, the coding process is prone to error. These errors, however, can be reduced with code reviews.

Code review is the process of looking at the code and its quality to find places to improve (called “code smells”), bugs, errors, and parts of the code that might not meet the organization’s quality standards. 

What is code review?

When a developer’s code (or a pull request) is looked over by another developer, usually one who knows more about the subject, this is called code review. When code reviews are done right, they speed up the process of finding and fixing common bugs and cut down on the time spent optimizing code at the end of the development process.

Code reviews are essential to any tech team’s workflow, as it helps ensure that the code being deployed is high quality, maintainable, and meets the team’s standards and best practices.

What is the difference between a code reviewer and a code checker?

Code checkers use software to check the code and are usually used by some companies to speed up the review process and lower the risk of human error during development. Code reviewer finds the mistakes in the software’s logic, style, documentation, and syntax.

What do code reviewers check for?

Code reviewers should pay attention to how the module was designed, how it was put together, how well it helped solve the problem, and how well it worked with other modules. A reviewer with experience in the field is preferable.

Reviewers are encouraged to share all of their areas of expertise and make suggestions for improvement. This includes any new areas where they may have special knowledge or insight. The guidelines of the review process should not limit what a reviewer might say to help improve the code.

The process of reviewing code should be integrated into the team’s workflow. If the team uses task branching procedures, start a code review after all the code has been produced and automated tests have been run and passed but before the code is merged upstream. In this manner, the code reviewer’s time is well spent, as bad code is kept out of the main development branch.

What is the purpose of a code review?

Even though it might not seem like it at first, having regular code reviews is one of the best ways to save time and make software development go more quickly. 

A second pair of eyes can find faults and basic coding errors before your product moves on to the next phase, speeding up the process by which your program reaches the client. Having someone else check your code and point out any mistakes you see is a huge help.

  • Enhancing the code

Finding flaws, anticipating possible bugs, evaluating the code’s clarity, and ensuring that it adheres to the project’s style guidelines.

  • Improving the developer

Programmers learn and teach each other about new language features, changes in the project’s design or coding standards, and new methodologies through code review. Especially with open-source projects, a great deal of discourse occurs during code reviews.

  • Excellent code quality

A decrease in the number of software bugs through prototyping and testing cycles that are shorter. Improve the Opinions of the Current User Base reducing the burden on technical support.

The practice of peer-reviewing code is essential for programmers. An actual incident reported by a Gaper.io programmer highlights the significance.

“My name is Qurat ul Ain, and I work as a full-stack engineer at Gaper.io. As a woman coming out of college, I learned a lot about the differences between academics and Industry at gaper.io which I didn’t learn in college during the peer review process of coding.

“At gaper, we have a policy that all pull requests must be reviewed by a senior developer (team lead) or one of our peers. My initial assumption was that it was only a standard procedure for detecting errors. Later on, when I was both a developer and a reviewer, I saw that there was more to code review than merely finding bugs. I have become a better programmer because I took part in the code review process.”

Advantages of code review

When teams perform code reviews, they do more than just look for bugs. Code review promotes teamwork, learning, code verification, and development speed. Let’s take a look at some of the various advantages to code view.

Quality assurance

By reviewing code before it is merged, team members can catch mistakes and bugs that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. This can save a lot of time and effort in the long run, as fixing mistakes and bugs after deployment can be much more time-consuming and costly than catching them during the code review process.

Promotes best practices and standards within the team

By reviewing each other’s code, team members can learn from each other and adopt new and better ways of writing code. The main ways in which this is done are:

  • Improved team communication

Code review greatly improves communication and understanding within the team. By discussing code and suggesting changes and improvements, team members can better understand each other’s thought processes and work. This open and honest communication can help foster trust and collaboration within the team.

  • Team building

Code review is an excellent opportunity for team building and relationship enhancement. Based on the requirements, each developer adds their own distinctive touches. Team members and developers can sometimes misunderstand what is needed and add features that aren’t needed. Develop a culture of continual learning and improvement, resulting in a more cohesive and productive team.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing

Code review can also make it easier for people on the team to work together and share what they know. When team members review each other’s code, they have the opportunity to share their expertise and knowledge with their colleagues. This can be especially useful for newer team members, who can learn from the experience and skills of their more experienced colleagues.

Code review also allows team members to learn from each other’s thought processes and approaches to problem-solving. By understanding how their colleagues tackle challenges and write code, team members can expand their own knowledge and skills.

Improved codebase

By making code review a regular part of their workflow, tech teams can improve the quality and maintainability of their codebases in a big way. Code review helps find places in the code that could be improved, like areas that are too complicated or waste time, and gives team members a chance to make changes and improvements before the code is merged. This can result in a cleaner, more efficient, and easier-to-maintain codebase.

Promotes productivity

In addition to improving the quality of the codebase, code review can also lead to increased productivity. Based on the specifications, each developer adds their own unique touches. After deployment, they may misinterpret requirements and include unnecessary functionality. This can result in faster development cycles and more efficient use of team resources.

The advantages of peer reviewing code

Reviewing code not only helps find and solve errors but also improves the quality of the code and makes it easier to understand for everyone on the team. Evidence suggests that this method not only improves the quality of the code but also helps teams save money, rely less on quality assurance, and help engineers grow, share their knowledge, and build a better team culture.

A few additional advantages of code reviews have emerged in recent years. Most programmers agree that having another programmer look over your code is the best way to find and fix bugs.

It’s a chance for engineers to work together, gain new knowledge from one another, develop their mentoring skills, and develop novel approaches to old challenges. By reviewing the code before it goes into production, the development process can be sped up, bottlenecks and process problems can be found, and the groundwork can be laid for improving the health and capacity of teams as a whole.

Best practices for code reviews

The following are examples of regularly used review metrics.

  • Security: Are there any vulnerabilities in the code?
  • Code readability: Are there any comments in the code that are duplicates of each other?
  • The inspection rate is found by dividing the number of lines of code (LoC) inspected per hour by the number of hours the code is being reviewed. Code readability may be an issue if it takes a significant amount of time to review the source code.
  • Defect Density: To determine defect density, you divide the total number of defects by the number of lines of code in a given quantity of code. An analysis of defect density can help you determine which components are more prone to flaws so that you can focus more resources on strengthening the weak links. You may need to allocate more experienced developers to work on a web application with a disproportionately high number of problems.
  • Defect rate: The number of defects found divided by the number of hours spent on the inspection. Your testing procedures may not be as efficient as they may be if your developers are taking too long to find problems.
  • Test Coverage: Are there any other cases that should be tested?
  • Reusability: Are there any reusable components, functions, or services?
  • Architecture: Is the code modular and encapsulated?

Tips for conducting effective code reviews

By considering these points and implementing an effective code review process, tech teams can make the most of this valuable practice and reap the many advantages it has to offer.

Focus on the code, not the person

Code review should be about the code and its quality, not about the person who wrote it. It’s important to approach code review with a constructive mindset and to provide specific and actionable feedback.

Be open to feedback

It’s important for team members to be open to feedback and willing to make changes based on suggestions made during code review. This helps improve the overall quality of the codebase and can lead to better collaboration and understanding within the team.

Set clear expectations

Establishing clear expectations for the code review process can help ensure that it runs smoothly and efficiently. This includes setting deadlines for reviews, outlining the scope of the review, and establishing guidelines for giving and receiving feedback.

Common code review pitfalls to avoid

There are a few common pitfalls to avoid when it comes to code review:

Not reviewing code at all

Skipping code review can lead to mistakes and issues being missed, which can be costly and time-consuming to fix later. It’s important for teams to make code review a regular part of their workflow.

Focusing too much on style

While it’s important for code to be well-written and easy to read, code review should be more focused on the functionality and overall quality of the code. It’s okay to point out style issues, but they should not be the main focus of the review.

Not giving enough feedback

On the other hand, not giving enough feedback during code review can be just as detrimental. It’s important to provide specific and actionable feedback to help team members improve and learn.

Tools for code review 

There are various tools available that can help teams streamline their code review process. Some popular options include code review platforms, such as

  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Phabricator

These allow team members to review and discuss code online and track changes. These tools often include features like:

  • Commenting
  • Code highlighting
  • Version control

All of these are important tools which can make code review more efficient and effective.

Cutting costs through code review

Several well-known companies have published studies that show how review helps cut costs and avoid mistakes.

  • IBM’s 500,000-line Orbit project was delivered early despite undergoing 11 levels of inspection and having only approximately 1% of the faults that would be expected without review.
  • There was a 14% increase in output when code reviews were implemented, and a 90% reduction in faults, according to research conducted by AT&T involving 200 employees.
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratories has calculated that by conducting thorough reviews at the early stages, they may save about $25,000.

A comprehensive analysis of coder review participation and coverage at the University of California, Berkeley, demonstrates that code review reduces the number of bugs and security problems in production. The research also implies that introducing code review policies may improve the software’s quality and security.

Code reviews for remote teams

Regardless of the field, teams in any sector can advantage from regular code reviews. However, code reviews can be quite helpful for distributed teams. With the right tools and processes in place, code review can help remote teams stay connected and productive, even when they are not in the same physical location.

When using a method that best works for your team, distributed developers can work together to complete tasks, rather than waiting for a lone hero to step forward. As could be assumed, talking things out is vital. The ability to communicate effectively is crucial for remote teams, always.

Real-time example of a code review

Software developers are creating a new app. The team uses agile development and code review.

Rachel has been working on a product search and viewing feature. Her code is ready for inspection. Rachel uploads her code to the code review portal and gives it to Mark and Sarah for review. Mark and Sarah inspect the code for errors and propose fixes.

Mark and Sarah find several code improvements during their review. To make code more efficient and understandable, they advise refactoring. They also found two minor bugs that Rachel missed.

Rachel implemented the suggestions, and sent the revised code back for review, and this time it is accepted and added to the main repository. The code review approach caught errors early, saving the team time and effort.

The team also improved code efficiency and maintainability, making updates and expansion easier. The code review method also encouraged the whole team to work together and keep getting better, which should lead to better project results in the future.

Code review and agile development

Code review is often used in conjunction with agile development methodologies, which prioritize flexibility and rapid iteration. In agile development, code review helps ensure that code is of high quality and meets the team’s standards before it is deployed, which can help reduce risk and increase productivity.

Code review and the role of the code review manager

Depending on the size and needs of the team, it may be helpful to have a designated code review manager who is responsible for coordinating code reviews and assigning reviewers.

The code review manager can help ensure that the code review process runs smoothly and efficiently, and can serve as a resource for team members who have questions or need guidance.

The following tips are some great ways for both reviewers and code authors to make the most of the code review process and contribute to the overall success of the team.

Tips for code reviewers

If you are a reviewer participating in a code review, here are a few tips for making the most of the process:

  • Be thorough

It’s important to thoroughly review the code and pay attention to details. Look for any errors or issues that were overlooked and make any necessary improvements or changes.

  • Be constructive

It’s important to approach code review with a constructive mindset and to provide specific and actionable feedback. Avoid criticism or negativity, and focus on helping the team improve and learn.

  • Be open to feedback

It’s also important for reviewers to be open to feedback and willing to make changes based on suggestions made during the code review process. This can help improve the overall quality of the codebase and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Tips for code authors

If you are the author of the code being reviewed, here are a few tips for making the most of the process:

  • Prepare for the review

Before the code review, make sure the code is well-documented and easy to understand. This will make it easier for reviewers to understand your thought process and provide helpful feedback.

  • Be open to feedback

It’s important to be open to feedback and willing to make changes based on suggestions made during the code review process. This can help improve the overall quality of the code and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

  • Communicate with reviewers

If you have questions or concerns about the feedback you have received during the code review process, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or further discussion. This can help ensure that the code review process is productive and beneficial for everyone involved.

Code review and the role of automated testing

Automated testing is a technique in which software tests are run automatically, without the need for manual intervention. Automated testing can be an important part of the code review process, as it can help catch mistakes and issues that might have been missed during manual code review. Some popular tools for automated testing include JUnit, Selenium, and Cucumber.

Code review and the role of code review policies

Establishing clear code review policies can help ensure that the code review process is consistent, efficient, and effective. Some things to consider when developing code review policies include:

  • Who is responsible for initiating code review?
  • Who is responsible for reviewing code?
  • How often should code reviews be conducted?
  • What is the scope of the code review (e.g., should the review focus on specific areas of the code, or should the entire codebase be reviewed)?
  • What are the expectations for giving and receiving feedback during code review?

Conclusion

In conclusion, code review is an essential practice for tech teams that offers a wide range of advantages, including improved quality and maintainability of the codebase, increased productivity, and improved team communication and collaboration. By establishing clear policies and guidelines, and using the right tools and processes, tech teams can make the most of code review and build more successful and effective teams

FAQ

What is a code review?

A code review is a type of software testing in which the code is looked at and judged by someone who wasn’t part of making the code but knows how it’s put together. When developing software for end users, that principle should serve as the foundation of your process.

Who conducts code reviews?

When a developer’s code (or a pull request) is looked over by another developer, usually one who knows more about the subject, this is called code review. When code reviews are done right, they speed up the process of finding and fixing common bugs and cut down on the time spent optimizing code at the end of the development process.

When examining code, what do reviewers check for specifically?

The reviewer should pay attention to how the module was designed, how it was put together, how well it helped solve the problem, and how well it worked with other modules

What is the purpose of a code review?

  • Enhancing the code
  • mproving the developer
  • Excellent code quality
  • Codebase consistency
  • Task time and budget savings
  • Team building

What is the difference between a code review and a code checker?

Code checkers use software to check the code and are usually used by some companies to speed up the review process and lower the risk of human error during development. Code reviewer finds the mistakes in the software’s logic, style, documentation, and syntax.

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