Software inspection
Encyclopedia
Inspection in software engineering
, refers to peer review
of any work product by trained individuals who look for defects using a well defined process. An inspection might also be referred to as a Fagan inspection
after Michael Fagan, the creator of a very popular software inspection process.
and test plan
s. In an inspection, a work product is selected for review and a team is gathered for an inspection meeting to review the work product. A moderator is chosen to moderate the meeting. Each inspector prepares for the meeting by reading the work product and noting each defect. The goal of the inspection is to identify defects. In an inspection, a defect is any part of the work product that will keep an inspector from approving it. For example, if the team is inspecting a software requirements specification, each defect will be text in the document which an inspector disagrees with.
The process should have entry criteria that determine if the inspection process is ready to begin. This prevents unfinished work products from entering the inspection process. The entry criteria might be a checklist including items such as "The document has been spell-checked".
The stages in the inspections process are: Planning, Overview meeting, Preparation, Inspection meeting, Rework and Follow-up. The Preparation, Inspection meeting and Rework stages might be iterated.
The process is ended by the moderator when it satisfies some predefined exit criteria.
can be done as a special kind of inspection in which the team examines a sample of code and fixes any defects in it. In a code review, a defect is a block of code which does not properly implement its requirements, which does not function as the programmer intended, or which is not incorrect but could be improved (for example, it could be made more readable or its performance could be improved). In addition to helping teams find and fix bugs, code reviews are useful for both cross-training programmers on the code being reviewed and for helping junior developers learn new programming techniques.
are considered an industry best-practice for detecting software defects early and learning about software artifacts. Peer Reviews are composed of software walkthrough
s and software inspections and are integral to software product engineering activities. A collection of coordinated knowledge, skills, and behaviors facilitates the best possible practice of Peer Reviews. The elements of Peer Reviews include the structured review process, standard of excellence product checklists, defined roles of participants, and the forms and reports.
Software inspections are the most rigorous form of Peer Reviews and fully utilize these elements in detecting defects. Software walkthroughs draw selectively upon the elements in assisting the producer to obtain the deepest understanding of an artifact and reaching a consensus among participants. Measured results reveal that Peer Reviews produce an attractive return on investment obtained through accelerated learning and early defect detection. For best results, Peer Reviews are rolled out within an organization through a defined program of preparing a policy and procedure, training practitioners and managers, defining measurements and populating a database structure, and sustaining the roll out infrastructure.
Software engineering
Software Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
, refers to peer review
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
of any work product by trained individuals who look for defects using a well defined process. An inspection might also be referred to as a Fagan inspection
Fagan inspection
Fagan inspection refers to a structured process of trying to find defects in development documents such as programming code, specifications, designs and others during various phases of the software development process...
after Michael Fagan, the creator of a very popular software inspection process.
Introduction
An inspection is one of the most common sorts of review practices found in software projects. The goal of the inspection is for all of the inspectors to reach consensus on a work product and approve it for use in the project. Commonly inspected work products include software requirements specificationsRequirements analysis
Requirements analysis in systems engineering and software engineering, encompasses those tasks that go into determining the needs or conditions to meet for a new or altered product, taking account of the possibly conflicting requirements of the various stakeholders, such as beneficiaries or users...
and test plan
Test plan
A test plan is a document detailing a systematic approach to testing a system such as a machine or software. The plan typically contains a detailed understanding of what the eventual workflow will be.-Test plans:...
s. In an inspection, a work product is selected for review and a team is gathered for an inspection meeting to review the work product. A moderator is chosen to moderate the meeting. Each inspector prepares for the meeting by reading the work product and noting each defect. The goal of the inspection is to identify defects. In an inspection, a defect is any part of the work product that will keep an inspector from approving it. For example, if the team is inspecting a software requirements specification, each defect will be text in the document which an inspector disagrees with.
The process
The inspection process was developed by Michael Fagan in the mid-1970s and it has later been extended and modified.The process should have entry criteria that determine if the inspection process is ready to begin. This prevents unfinished work products from entering the inspection process. The entry criteria might be a checklist including items such as "The document has been spell-checked".
The stages in the inspections process are: Planning, Overview meeting, Preparation, Inspection meeting, Rework and Follow-up. The Preparation, Inspection meeting and Rework stages might be iterated.
- Planning: The inspection is planned by the moderator.
- Overview meeting: The author describes the background of the work product.
- Preparation: Each inspector examines the work product to identify possible defects.
- Inspection meeting: During this meeting the reader reads through the work product, part by part and the inspectors point out the defects for every part.
- Rework: The author makes changes to the work product according to the action plans from the inspection meeting.
- Follow-up: The changes by the author are checked to make sure everything is correct.
The process is ended by the moderator when it satisfies some predefined exit criteria.
Inspection roles
During an inspection the following roles are used.- Author: The person who created the work product being inspected.
- Moderator: This is the leader of the inspection. The moderator plans the inspection and coordinates it.
- Reader: The person reading through the documents, one item at a time. The other inspectors then point out defects.
- Recorder/Scribe: The person that documents the defects that are found during the inspection.
- Inspector: The person that examines the work product to identify possible defects.
Code review
A code reviewCode review
Code review is systematic examination of computer source code. It is intended to find and fix mistakes overlooked in the initial development phase, improving both the overall quality of software and the developers' skills...
can be done as a special kind of inspection in which the team examines a sample of code and fixes any defects in it. In a code review, a defect is a block of code which does not properly implement its requirements, which does not function as the programmer intended, or which is not incorrect but could be improved (for example, it could be made more readable or its performance could be improved). In addition to helping teams find and fix bugs, code reviews are useful for both cross-training programmers on the code being reviewed and for helping junior developers learn new programming techniques.
Peer Reviews
Peer reviewsSoftware peer review
In software development, peer review is a type of software review in which a work product is examined by its author and one or more colleagues, in order to evaluate its technical content and quality.-Purpose:...
are considered an industry best-practice for detecting software defects early and learning about software artifacts. Peer Reviews are composed of software walkthrough
Software walkthrough
In software engineering, a walkthrough or walk-through is a form of software peer review "in which a designer or programmer leads members of the development team and other interested parties through a software product, and the participants ask questions and make comments about possible errors,...
s and software inspections and are integral to software product engineering activities. A collection of coordinated knowledge, skills, and behaviors facilitates the best possible practice of Peer Reviews. The elements of Peer Reviews include the structured review process, standard of excellence product checklists, defined roles of participants, and the forms and reports.
Software inspections are the most rigorous form of Peer Reviews and fully utilize these elements in detecting defects. Software walkthroughs draw selectively upon the elements in assisting the producer to obtain the deepest understanding of an artifact and reaching a consensus among participants. Measured results reveal that Peer Reviews produce an attractive return on investment obtained through accelerated learning and early defect detection. For best results, Peer Reviews are rolled out within an organization through a defined program of preparing a policy and procedure, training practitioners and managers, defining measurements and populating a database structure, and sustaining the roll out infrastructure.
See also
- Software engineeringSoftware engineeringSoftware Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
- List of software engineering topics
- Capability Maturity ModelCapability Maturity ModelThe Capability Maturity Model is a development model that was created after study of data collected from organizations that contracted with the U.S. Department of Defense, who funded the research. This model became the foundation from which CMU created the Software Engineering Institute...
(CMM)
External links
- Review and inspection practices
- Article Software Inspections by Ron Radice
- Comparison of different inspection and review techniques
- Inspection Software Information Portal