Code Review Challenges Faced by Developers | Codegrip

Introduction to Code Review Challenges

Whether you’re a software development manager or a programmer, you may be neglecting the massive benefits of code reviews at your own risk. Peer reviews save time when done effectively, simplifying the development process and decreasing the amount of work required later by QA teams.

Reviews can also save money by detecting flaws that could otherwise go unnoticed through testing, production, and into the computers of end-users. While time and money are important considerations in the software development industry, code reviews can provide some extra, more human-centric benefits.

Work environments that encourage programmers to talk with each other about their code encourage better communication, distribute the sense of “ownership” for a piece of code, and provide crucial knowledge for junior developers-as senior colleagues may have better ways to write clean code, fix basic problems with useful shortcuts, and be able to identify probable trouble spots like memory leaks, scalability issues, etc.

Code review and importance

The act of intentionally and methodically meeting with one’s fellow programmers to examine each other’s code for flaws is known as Code Review or Peer Code Review. This process has been proven to hasten and streamline the software development process as few other techniques can. The code review process is crucial to the success of coding projects, and it helps a person grow as a developer.

Here are a few reasons why code review is critical to a coding project’s reliability, consistency, and long-term viability.

Get a consistent design and implementation

Code peer review may ensure that a project’s coding style is consistent throughout, making source code understandable by everyone who comes into contact with it at any point during development.

The use of the review process ensures uniform design and execution and also seeks to guarantee the software’s maintainability and longevity. It will also save you and your team time by allowing you to concentrate on developing the program rather than figuring out how the code works.

Keeping your errors and their consequences to a bare minimum

This may appear to be the most obvious benefit of code peer review, but it is also one of the most critical. When you’re working under time and financial constraints, it’s easy to overlook this step. You may be confident in your work, but even the finest programmers could become cross-eyed from looking at their own code for too long.

Before your product moves on to the next phase, code review may assist in discovering problems and basic coding errors, making the process of delivering the program to the client more efficient.

Assures the quality of the project and that all criteria are met

The scope of any particular software project, as well as its requirements, may pass through multiple developers’ hands. When compared to the code that is finally produced, the code review process can act as a check and balance against conflicting views of the scope and requirements.

The second pair of eyes can guarantee you don’t slip into the same pit you dug for yourself based on your own interpretation of the question, and that nothing crucial has been ignored. Having your code reviewed by your peers might also save you a lot of effort when it comes to “confronting” QA later on.

Enhancing the code’s performance

Some younger developers may be ignorant of the optimization techniques that could be used for their code due to their lack of experience. The code review process allows these professionals to learn new techniques while also improving the performance of their code. It also allows these younger programmers to improve their abilities and become specialists in their field.

Challenges faced by developers while performing code review

Challenge 1: Project Infrastructure

Users may have their own opinions when it comes to developing software, but this causes problems for developers because they rarely get in contact with them directly.

A similar issue arises while working on an unestablished project, as every development project needs testing and pre-production. When you are given a complex project, it might be difficult to deal and work on each and every aspect of the project on your own. You may be required to work with code written by another developer in some circumstances. New developers may face difficulties as a result of this circumstance.

When it comes to project delivery, an unestablished project environment is always a problem. If the environment is unavailable, you will be unable to complete your project on time and on budget.

Challenge 2: Development Expectations and Outcome

The continual shifting of requirements is a key contributor to the complexity of software projects. Requirements gathering is much more than a group of business consultants thinking up their perfect product; it also entails thoroughly comprehending what a project will produce.

Understanding the dynamics of requirements volatility necessitates a thorough examination of the sources, causes, and consequences of requirement changes. A project becomes more difficult when it is constantly changing. Because new developers are still learning, this complexity has become the most difficult task for them.

Challenge 3: Ensuring project quality and meeting requirements

The majority of software projects are conceptual, with the goal of creating and producing software solutions that fulfill the requirements of the client. Even the simplest application or product requires developers to grasp the underlying business concept and incorporate the necessary functionality so that the product is of the expected high quality.

When a code is finally produced, there might be different interpretations of the end product. If a number of developers work on the same project, it becomes difficult to ensure the optimal quality of the project.

Challenge 4: Undefined Quality Standards

We all know that developing a product entails more than just writing code. Various iterations of testing are conducted throughout the project cycle to ensure that the actual output matches the anticipated outcome. It is also extremely usual to find difficulties/bugs throughout the testing phases, which necessitates retesting and resolving until the issues are fixed.

Even though the product has gone through extensive unit testing during the development phase, defect detection is unavoidable during functionality testing.

Furthermore, project teams may find it more difficult to pinpoint difficulties, necessitating escalation to more senior IT staff/developers. Because project managers must apply excellent judgment to guarantee that all concerns are handled prior to the systems going live.

It goes without saying that the testing process is crucial for avoiding customer discontent and ensuring that no further rework is necessary after going live.

Challenge 5: Improving code performance

It is typical for developers to skip code reviews or hide mistakes in order to save time and fulfill deadlines. But don’t forget that following a rigorous quality assurance procedure is critical for a successful launch. It is important to use optimal code development methods in order to achieve the requirements sooner and more efficiently.

Improving code performance is one challenge faced by developers that can be eliminated by being updated with the new coding tips and tricks.

Use of automated code review tools to overcome challenges

Automated code review tools can help you streamline the process, enhance the quality of your code, and save time for the developers. Instead of examining other people’s code, developers prefer to focus on creating their own applications. Automated code review tools have been around for a long time, and they’ve been improving.

They’re now more efficient, accurate, and adaptable than they’ve ever been. Because business demands necessitate speed and agility, code review must be automated. It can result in quicker feedback, higher-quality code, and a shorter time to market.

Conclusion

Solving software development issues, no matter how big or little is never simple. From requirements problems to integrating new technologies, from assuring end-to-end security to the obstacles of duplicating efforts, software product development necessitates being clear and focused on the problem you’ve set out to address in order to achieve your goals.

Code reviews enable teams to collaborate and maintain a clean codebase, learn from each other and acquire new skills and guarantee that creative solutions tackle challenging issues, they are well worth the effort. IT executives must devote time to developing processes to ensure that everyone has the tools and information they need to succeed so that team members see code reviews as worthwhile.

Originally published at https://www.codegrip.tech on September 15, 2021.