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    Perceptions of Code (and Document) Review

    We have demonstrated the effects team satisfaction with the code review process has on code quality. But what are the benefits that result in team satisfaction? How does it impact not just the development team, but the organization?

    In this section of our survey findings, we’ll explore the business and team benefits of code review, and how business drivers can impact team approaches to code (and document) review.

    Benefits of Code Review

    What do you believe are the most important benefits of code review?

    0%

    More frequent releases - developed by geographically diverse teams - require enhanced communication and education to deliver quality.

    Development teams release more frequently than ever before. Consistent review of code and other artifacts continues to play a vital part in teams’ ability to release quality software, share knowledge and educate team members. It ensures everyone is on the same page and moving in the same direction as teams become larger and more geographically distributed.

    Benefits of Code Review (Gaining/Losing Attention) Additional Figure

    The ability to comply with regulatory standards continues to increase in importance year after year.

    There was some movement over the past three years in survey respondents’ views on the most important benefits of code review. The ability to comply with regulatory standards saw the biggest gain in respondents’ eyes, with an almost 8% improvement compared to 2019. This is the third straight year ability to comply with regulatory standards has increased, indicating the growing importance code review has in complying with government regulations.

    Business Drivers

    What are the business drivers that most determined your team's need for a code review tool?

    Improved code quality is always the end goal.

    Quality is top of the mind for every individual and every team. Every developer has felt the pain of software releases that did not go well leading to customer calls and late nights. Quality software remains the insurance policy that continues to pay out.

    Collaborations

    I often learn from others when I participate in code reviews.

    Participating in code review increases collaboration and in turn knowledge of all team members.

    People are collaborative in nature and achieve greater success when working collaboratively. Outside perspectives and shared ideas opens team members’ minds and builds a better, more diverse team.

    My team uses code review to onboard and train new developers.

    The collaboration of team code review makes it an ideal method for training new developers.

    Besides delivering higher quality software, code review delivers a higher quality team with the learning opportunities it creates. Code review is collaborative by nature, so it makes sense why 64% of survey respondents also use code review as a training resource for new developers.

    Setting Guidelines

    My team regularly pulls reports and metrics on our code review process

    My team has guidelines for how reviews should be performed

    Proper code review requires defined guidelines and regular reporting with metrics.

    For a process to operate at peak performance, there must be clear guidelines and monitoring of key metrics. Consistent reporting enables development teams to track what is important on a regular cadence. Clear guidelines ensure teams know the right protocols and correct handling of issues and proper escalation procedures. This directly translates to team satisfaction, as 55% of respondents satisfied or highly satisfied with their code review process regular pull reports. Furthermore, 82% of satisfied and highly satisfied respondents have clear guidelines for their code review process.