Research into Code Inspection
Research consistently shows Code inspection is be remarkably cost-effective when compared to other ways to find the defects in computer software. Consider these three questions:
Why should you inspect software?
- Immediate Return on Investment—Code inspection pays for itself during development, isolates defects much more efficiently than testing, and has been shown to reduce maintenance costs by 90%.
- Long lasting Return on Investment—Inspection saves time otherwise wasted on bug-fixing, rework and other repair activities and has been shown to make developers 20% more productive.
When should you inspect software?
- Inspect during development—Software maintenance starts from day one of a project and inspected software is less expensive to alter, fix and maintain.
- Inspect before testing—Software should be inspected before it is tested: when it comes to finding defects, inspection is much cheaper and faster.
What should you look for?
- Entry Level Compliance—Look for Defect Indicators which are easy to find but are correlated with instability, errors and unnecessary complexity.
- Professional Software Development—Look for Defect Indicators which have been correlated with low reliability, design flaws and high maintenance costs.
- Industry Best Practice—Perform code walkthroughs to ensure that inappropriate techniques have been avoided.