Task: Organize Review
This task describes how to facilitate the review process and ensure the review is undertaken appropriately.
Disciplines: Environment
Purpose
The purpose of this task is to ensure required review tasks are appropriately planned and organized, to ensure attendee's are invited and are adequately informed about the review, to facilitate the review so as to maximize the productivity of the reviewers and meet defined quality requirements, and to ensure that any actions identified for attention subsequent to the review are assigned and undertaken as agreed.
Relationships
RolesPrimary Performer: Additional Performers:
InputsMandatory:
    Optional:
      Outputs
        Steps
        Plan review tasks

        The Review Coordinator starts this task when the current project work plans have been consulted and the need for a review identified.

        The work products mentioned in the "Input Work Products" section define a review framework, providing guidance and directions with regards to what the overall scope of the reviews should be, when they should take place, who to include in the review and how reviewers should prepare, what is the level of formalism, and so forth. More detailed guidance could be found in the the Measurement Plan, the Quality Assurance Plan, the Development Process, and the Project Specific Guidelines.

        There are various approaches to planning review tasks: these approaches vary based on factors such as team size, team culture, the required formality of the projects process and the current point in the project lifecycle. Some of the general techniques used include:

        • Reviews.  A meeting at which a work product, or a set of work products are presented to the user, customer, or other interested parties for comments and approval.
        • Inspection. A evaluation technique in which one or more work products are examined in detail by a person or group other than the author to detect errors. Inspections are considered to be the most productive review technique, however it requires training, and preparation to perform them well.
        • Walkthrough. A review process in which the review coordinator, in this case also a developer, leads one or more reviewers, possibly members of the development team, through a segment of a work product that he or she has written while the other members ask questions and make comments about technique, style, possible error, violation of development standards, and other problems.

        To maximize efficiency and minimize team interruptions, consider planning the reviews in such a way that the required reviewers can be convened a minimum number of times by having them review as many work products as possible. Obviously a realistic workload needs to be maintained for each review, so you will need to balance these conflicting needs accordingly.

        Inform attendees

        It is important to provide attendee's with sufficient notice about the review, and to advise them about what will be expected of them in terms of both preparatory work and their involvement in the review process itself. Make it clear to each attendee what stakeholding they are being asked to represent and as such the type of review critique and feedback you are expecting from them.

        Consult each of the specific review tasks and accompanying guidelines in RUP to determine the criteria for inviting attendees, the recommended preparatory work for an attendee and the expectations that will be placed on them by agreeing to attend the review. As some general guidance, you should consider the following stakeholders when inviting attendees to participate in the review meetings:

        • The subsequent direct consumers of the work product, including testing and documentation staff.
        • Peers playing the role as the producer of the work product who will act as domain or subject-matter experts.
        • The producer of the work product.
        • The sponsor or budget holder.
        • The consumer or users of the final product that will be realized from this work product.

        It is important to find the right balance between including the desired review participants and keeping the review manageable and productive. Care should be taken to include only those participants who will contribute to achieving the objectives of the review. In general, it is usually more productive to hold several focused review sessions with a smaller number of participants, than to hold one review involving many.

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