The Review Process
Roles we will be using:
• Moderator / Review Leader (1 person)
• Recorder (1 person – could be the author of the artifact)
• Reviewers (at least 2 people who are not the author)
• Author(s)
The different stages of a review process are:
• Planning Stage:
Details for an inspection are decided and necessary arrangements made. These include identifying the artifact to review, selection of an inspection team, and finding a time and place for the inspection meeting. The inspection team must consist of at least a Moderator, an Author (who can also assume the role of Recorder), and two Reviewers.
The planning stage should be conducted by the person assuming the Moderator / Review Leader role of the review.
• Preparation Stage:
Period of time inspectors individually study and examine the work product.
The Author(s) should send the artifact to be inspected to all attendees of the Review at least 24 hours in advance of the Inspection Stage.
The Reviewers should prepare for the Inspection Stage by compiling a complete list of comments (good and bad) about the Author(s) artifact. A review is only as good as the comments the Reviewers make.
• Inspection Stage:
This is the meeting where the work product is examined by the entire inspection team. All members report defects found. The results of this meeting are recorded in meeting minutes and a defect list.
The Moderator leads all discussion and is responsible for making sure a quality Review is conducted.
The Reviewers submit feedback and actively discuss any defects. The goal of the Reviewers is NOT to fix any defects, but to agree on what the defects are for the Author(s) to repair.
The Author(s) explain the artifact when necessary and answer any questions the Reviewers have about the artifact. However, the Author(s) are to assume a minor role in the discussion.
The Recorder keeps an active log of all discussion and a running list of all defects reported. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Recorder runs through all defects recorded so that attendees can verify everything has been captured.
A deadline is set for the Author(s) to report back for the Follow-up Stage.
• Reporting Stage:
The recorder of the meeting is responsible for writing the inspection report where subject, date, name of the participants and their role, time spent, summary of defects found are documented.
The Recorder and the Moderator make sure that the documentation is complete. The Moderator makes sure the Author(s) receive the list of defects so the Rework Stage can commence.
• Rework stage:
Time allotted for the author(s) to correct defects found by the inspection team.
• Follow-up stage:
Short meeting between the Author(s) and Moderator to verify that defects found during the inspection meeting have been corrected and that criteria, such as developments standards, are met. When those criteria have not been met, the inspection team repeats all review stages.