Software Review - Software Engineering

Software Review is a systematic inspection of software by one or more individuals who work together to find and resolve errors and defects in the software during the early stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). A software review is an essential part of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) that helps software engineers in validating the quality, functionality, and other vital features and components of the software. It is a whole process that includes testing the software product and it makes sure that it meets the requirements stated by the client. 

Usually performed manually, software review is used to verify various documents like requirements, system designs, codes, test plans, and test cases. 

Objectives of Software Review

The objective of the software review is: 

1. To improve the productivity of the development team. 
2. To make the testing process time and cost-effective. 
3. To make the final software with fewer defects. 
4. To eliminate the inadequacies. 

 Process of Software Review

1. Entry Evaluation: By confirming documentation, fulfilling entry requirements and assessing stakeholder and team preparation, you can determine the software's availability.
2. Management Preparation: To get ready for the review process, assign roles, gather resources and provide brief management.
3. Review Planning: Establish the review's goals and scope, invite relevant parties and set a time for the meeting.
4. Preparation: Distribute appropriate resources, give reviewers time to get familiar and promote issue identification to help them prepare.
5. Examination and Exit Evaluation: Reviewers should collaborate to examine the results, record concerns, and encourage candid communication in meetings. It  assess the results, make remedial plans based on flaws that have been reported and assess the process's overall efficacy.

Types of Software Reviews

There are mainly 3 types of software reviews: 

1. Software Peer Review

Peer review is the process of assessing the technical content and quality of the product and it is usually conducted by the author of the work product along with some other developers. 
Peer review is performed in order to examine or resolve the defects in the software, whose quality is also checked by other members of the team. 

Peer Review has following types: 

1. Code Review: Computer source code is examined in a systematic way. 
2. Pair Programming: It is a code review where two developers develop code together at the same platform. 
3. Walkthrough: Members of the development team is guided by author and other interested parties and the participants ask questions and make comments about defects. 
4. Technical Review: A team of highly qualified individuals examines the software product for its client's use and identifies technical defects from specifications and standards. 
5. Inspection: In inspection the reviewers follow a well-defined process to find defects. 

2. Software Management Review

Software Management Review evaluates the work status. In this section decisions regarding downstream activities are taken. 

3. Software Audit Review

Software Audit Review is a type of external review in which one or more critics, who are not a part of the development team, organize an independent inspection of the software product and its processes to assess their compliance with stated specifications and standards. This is done by managerial level people. 

Advantages of Software Review

1. Defects can be identified earlier stage of development (especially in formal review). 
2. Earlier inspection also reduces the maintenance cost of software. 
3. It can be used to train technical authors. 
4. It can be used to remove process inadequacies that encourage defects.