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From: mas@genrad.com (Mark A. Swanson)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Code inspections
Summary: Process, not programmers, are the barrier to Code Inspections
Keywords: inspection, software engineering
Message-ID: <40530@genrad.UUCP>
Date: 28 Jan 91 15:58:44 GMT
References: <14964@megatest.UUCP>
Sender: news@genrad.UUCP
Reply-To: mas@crom.genrad.COM (Mark A. Swanson)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 28

In practice we have not found programmer's egos to be a major problem
to properly conducted Code Inspections.  This, of course, assumes that
the Inspection process is actually following the defined cookbook approach,
complete with moderator who keeps the discussion on track and non personal
and a seperate reader who actually goes through the code (or design document:
Inspections work well for them as well) one piece at a time. In addition, it
is absolutely forbidden for someone's manager to help inspect his product or
to use the # of defects found by an inspection as part of performance rating.

It helps sociologically, I suspect, if the first few pieces of code inspected
are from the senior technical people.  (I have certainly found inspections
useful.)

The major problem is in scheduling if the process model does not include
inspections.  They do take time and there are limits to how many anyone
can go through per week (about 2 max, I think.)  This tends to make Inspections
a major time block on the project pert chart (even if broken up by area) and
therefore they are very hard to add in to an existing schedule.

The problems are all solvable, but it requires full project and technical
management support to introduce this or any other significant innovation
that changes how one develops software.  If ego problems are blocking
inspections, then one isn't running inspections right.

	Mark A Swanson
	Senior Principal Engineer
	GenRad, Concord, MA
	mas@genrad.com