Peer Reviews
Peer reviews are a collaborative software development practice where team members systematically examine each other's code, designs, or documentation to identify defects, improve quality, and share knowledge. This process involves developers reviewing work products (like pull requests) before they are merged into the main codebase, focusing on correctness, maintainability, and adherence to standards. It serves as a quality assurance mechanism and fosters team learning and consistency.
Developers should use peer reviews to catch bugs early, reduce technical debt, and ensure code aligns with team conventions, which is crucial in agile environments and for maintaining large codebases. It's particularly valuable in collaborative projects, open-source development, and regulated industries where code quality and security are paramount, as it leverages collective expertise to prevent issues before deployment.