Peer Code Reviews

Nearly all open source projects have some form of peer review system. In this session you will learn the pros (and cons) of adopting a peer review system in-house. To illustrate how this unfolded in the real world, a case study will be used. We'll talk about the overall setup, the impact on the team, and give you tips on how to conduct a good peer review.

Transcript

1. Peer Code Reviews
   Emma Jane Hogbin Westby - Trillium Consultancy Ltd.
   www.gitforteams.com
   @emmajanehw
   

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2. “in a culture of optimism
   good honest criticism
   seems to be dying out”
   Tim Brown Tim Brown

   

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4. Overview
   • Storytime!
   • Types of reviewers and types of reviews
   • Structuring the review process
   • Providing excellent feedback
   

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5. Storytime!
   

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6. Be intentional about
   your reviews.
   

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7. Not all reviews are the same.
   • Design crit
   • Technical architecture review
   • Automated self-check

   (coding standards; test suites)
   • Ticket-based peer code review
   • Quality Assurance / User Acceptance Testing
   

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8. Not all reviewers are the same.
   • Disinterested Reviewer
   • Peer Reviewer
   • Automated Gatekeeper
   • Consensus Shepherd
   • Benevolent Dictator
   

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9. Peer reviews are for everyone.
   Junior Coder Senior Coder
   Junior
   Reviewer
   • find bugs
   • compliance with coding
   standards
   • learn to read good code
   • suggest simplifications
   • exposure
   Senior
   Reviewer
   • suggest new techniques
   • improve architecture
   • improve architecture
   • cross-functional team
   (exposure)
   

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10. Use templates 

    and checklists.
    

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11. Use templates to
    structure the process.
    LaunchPad - http://lb.cm/tmplt-launchpad
    Drupal - http://lb.cm/tmplt-drupal
    Symfony - http://lb.cm/tmplt-symfony
    

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12. Use Checklists to Ensure
    You’re Meeting Standards
    http://drupal.org/core-gates
    

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13. Internal Checklists
    http://gitforteams.com/resources/review-process.html
    

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14. Provide excellent
    feedback.
    

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15. Good Feedback is Usable
    • Limit it to the scope of the work.
    • Make it actionable.
    • Make it specific.
    • Do it as soon as possible.
    • Acknowledge effort and give thanks.
    

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16. Bad Feedback

    is Destructive
    

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17. Summary
    • Implementing code reviews at work can initially cause
    more tension.
    • Code reviews will improve the skills of everyone on the
    team — communication and coding.
    • Consider the types of review, and work towards
    implementing the right feedback at the right time.
    • Co-create checklists for the review process.
    • Provide excellent, actionable feedback.
    

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18. Peer Code Review Resources
    http://lb.cm/ala-code-reviews
    http://lb.cm/review-process
    www.gitforteams.com
    @emmajanehw
    

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