Software Inspections / Peer Reviews

What are the benefits of such a process?
The main benefits of carrying out an Inspection process whether formally or informally are time saving, improved quality and reduced costs. This is obtained:

• by finding more defects
• by finding them early in the development lifecycle
• by preventing defects

Inspections have the highest return on investment of any software engineering practice - a return of 10 to one. The following are typical results from organisations that have introduced Inspections:

• net productivity increase of 30% to 100% (less rework so productivity improves)
• net timescale reductions of 10% to 30%
• test execution costs and timescales reduced by a factor of 5 to 10 since there are fewer defects left to find.
• Maintenance costs reduced by a factor of 10

The time savings are obvious from the above discussion in terms of reduced rework, etc. but ultimately the prevention of defects by designing quality in to the work products will yield the greatest time saving.

Another benefit is individual learning and helping to build effective technical teams with an associated enhancement in the flexibility of individuals to take over each other's work when required. This point is often as significant a point as the direct benefits described above. The development of a quality culture in general is often strongly linked to the introduction of formal reviews/inspections.

How Insight can help you improve

Consultancy Services

• Assess the effectiveness of your current approach
• Provide practical assistance with new process introduction or improvement of existing processes.
• Provide effective customised deployment strategy e.g. basic process migrating to more advanced Fagan/Gilb-type process.
• Process customisation/Tailoring to meet your business, cultural and technical requirements.

Inspection Training Workshops
Workshops are customised as appropriate to the level and orientation of the audience, as per an organisations specific requirements. They may be concerned with introducing a new review process or improving the effectiveness of an existing process.

Management Overview (1/2 or 1 day) - focusing on topics such as cost/benefit, management support and implementation planning aspects of reviews

Practical and Effective Inspections (2-day )
Inspection Leader Workshop (1-day)

Practical and Effective Inspections - (2 day course)

Summary
The use of practical inspections as a form of early testing is becoming increasingly widespread in the software industry. This course provides sufficient insight into the inspection process to allow organisations to customise the process to suit their specific requirements. Practical tips and guidelines are provided to ensure effectiveness is maintained with process tailoring. Failure paths are outlined. A number of exercises with fun role plays are used to get real practical experience of the inspection process.

Level and Orientation of Audience
Aimed at practitioners and those responsible for deploying the inspection process i.e. software project managers, project leaders, SEPG members, development staff, testers, etc. Ideally participants will have at least some development/test experience.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

• Understand the costs and benefits of the inspection process for the organisation and for the individual.
• Help ensure the goals of the inspection process are achieved:
  • to detect (and prevent) defects, especially major defects, in your work products.
  • to use inspections to learn and increase individual knowledge/skills.
  • to perform each of the inspection roles effectively.
• Perform your role effectively:
• Plan/prepare for inspections
  • Participate in inspection meetings
  • Perform re-work and follow-up

Topics Covered

Introduction

• Discussion of you current inspection process issues/problems (to be addressed in the tutorial)
• Why, when and what to inspect
• How peer reviews implemented as formal inspections are achieving the industry reported return on investment of 10:1

Key process phases
The key phases are described in terms of goals, activities performed, roles, responsibilities, deliverables, pitfalls, etc. Procedural details/steps in each phase are described and practical tips and guidelines are offered. The main phases are:

• planning
• overview/kick-off meeting
• preparation
• inspection meeting
• analysis meeting
• rework and follow up

Process optimisation issues

• Review criteria and checklists (samples provided)
• Reading and paraphrasing
• Optimum checking rates
• Basic Metrics: defect definition and classification, effectiveness and efficiency measures, rules of thumb, buy-in issues, etc.
• Defect prevention: passive/aggressive

The 'soft' skills

• Cultural and people issues
• Effectiveness issues
• Focusing on major faults
• Perspective based reading
• Emphasising effective preparation

Practical exercises

Perform inspections on sample internal documentation (using fun role plays!) using in-house or supplied templates for the inspection deliverables.

Implementation Planning

• Action planning

Inspection Leader Workshop - (1 day course)

Summary
This course provides specific guidance for the moderator/leader role in the inspection process to maximise the effectiveness of the process. Practical tips and guidelines are provided to ensure effectiveness is maintained with process tailoring. Failure paths are outlined. A number of case studies and a practical exercise with fun role plays are used in support of the presentation.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Ensure the goals of the Inspection process are met:
  • Detecting and preventing faults (especially majors)
  • Using inspections to learn and increase knowledge/skills
• Calculate the costs and benefits of the Inspection process
• Choose a level of process formality suited to your culture and environment
• Use metrics to improve the process
• Guide others in the process and help ensure buy-in
• Perform your leader/moderator role effectively:
  • Plan/prepare for inspections
  • Manage inspection meetings more effectively
  • Perform follow-up

Level and Orientation of Audience
Aimed at senior practitioners and those responsible for deploying the inspection process i.e. software project managers, project leaders, SEPG members, senior development staff, senior testers, etc. Ideally participants will have attended the 'Practical and Effective Inspections' course, will have more than two years development/test experience and will have significant experience participating in inspections.

Topics covered

• Introduction
• Inspection process revisited - the leaders's view
• Advanced Inspection issues/practices
  • Defect prevention
  • Metrics
  • Sampling/selection
  • Automation/tools
• Tailoring the process
  • Overview meeting
  • Preparation rates
  • Meeting management
  • Reviewer numbers and mix
  • Focusing on majors
  • Merged code
• The "soft" skills
  • What makes a good inspection leader?
  • Leader guidance in creating and maintaining buy-in and motivation
  • Leader protection
  • Resolving conflict
• Common pitfalls
• Exercises and case studies
  • Each participant has a turn leading the overview, inspection and analysis meetings with constructive feedback being provided by their inspection team and tutor on their performance.
  • Five case studies are provided highlighting lessons learnt
• Workshop summary and implementation planning