What is code inspection?

There are many stages that code goes through before being deployed as part of an application. A crucial step in the pipeline is code inspection. This is among the final and formal steps of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

Process

The static testing method of code inspection involves some formal steps and team members. This step helps to avoid errors being propagated and detected at a later stage.

The team members involved in code inspection include the following:

  • Author: This is the person who programmed the code under inspection. They are responsible for incorporating the feedback from the inspection.
  • Inspector: This person analyzes the code for defects and/or bugs.
  • Reader: This person presents the code at the meeting.
  • Chairman/moderator: This person makes sure the inspection runs smoothly and reports to the chief moderator.
  • Chief moderator: This person makes sure all the standards of inspection are followed. They may not be directly involved in the inspection of the code.

The author’s role is to acclimate the team with the details of the project. Each member goes through their checklist and looks for bugs and errors. As this is a static method, this is done by executing the program conceptually and without any data. After individual reviews, the team discusses their findings with each other and analyzes the code.

Advantages of code inspection

There are numerous advantages of code inspection that far outweigh the disadvantages. Some of these are highlighted below:

  • This step formally checks for defects before the code is deployed
  • Along with looking for defects, this step also adds improvements to the code quality
  • Peer reviews in code inspection help look for bugs
  • Improves overall product quality
  • A good way to learn from previous mistakes

Disadvantage of code inspection

The main disadvantage of code inspection is the planning involved to bring all the team members and get the extra reviews done. This process elongates the cycle, which may become a problem for products that need to be deployed quickly.

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