Peer Reviews in Software or Groups

Peer Reviews in Software: A Practical Guide

Author: Karl Eugene Wiegers

"I will tell my friends and other folks in quality assurance and process management roles to RUN (don't walk) and buy Peer Reviews in Software. In fact, my organization could use this book RIGHT NOW." —Brad Appleton

Karl's writing is nicely motivational, reasonably detailed, and covers the range of issues that are important."—Mark Paulk

There is nothing wrong with making mistakes; it is part of what makes us human. Catching the errors early, however, before they become difficult to find and expensive to correct, is very important. A peer review program is a vital component of any quality software development effort, yet too few software professionals have had the experience or training necessary to implement peer reviews successfully.

Concise, readable, and pragmatic, Peer Reviews in Software walks you through the peer review process and gives you the specific methods and techniques you need to help ensure a quality software release. Comprehensively covering both formal and informal processes, the book describes various peer review methods and offers advice on their appropriate use under a variety of circumstances.

This book focuses on—but is not limited to—the technique of inspection. This is the most formal, rigorous, and effective type of peer review. The various stages of inspection—including planning, individual preparation, conducting inspection meetings, and follow-up—are discussed in detail. In addition, Peer Reviews in Software explores the cultural and social nuances involved in critiquing the work of others, and reveals

Specific topicsinclude:

• Overcoming resistance to reviews
• Inspection teams and roles
• Inspection process stages
• Scheduling inspection events
• Analyzing inspection data
• Peer review training
• Critical success factors and pitfalls
• Relating peer reviews to process improvement models

Karl Wiegers closes with a look at special review challenges, including peer review of large work products and geographically dispersed development teams. He provides many practical resources to help you jump-start your review program, enhance communications on your projects, and ultimately ship high-quality software on schedule.

0201734850B10052001

Interesting textbook: Analysis of Panel Data or HIPAA

Groups: Theory and Experience

Author: Rodney Napier

Groups includes research on group dynamics and current views on ways to make working in groups more effective. Napier and Gershenfeld present complex concepts in a way that makes them more understandable, recognizing that students are more familiar with the dynamics of individual behavior and building on that knowledge to teach group theory. Case studies provide real-life context and exercises engage students in the learning process by asking them to apply what they learn to their own lives.

Table of Contents:

Contents

1. Perception and Communication
2. Membership
3. Norms, Group Pressures, and Deviancy
4. Goals
5. Leadership
6. A Systems View of Small Group Behavior
7. Group Problem Solving and Decision Making
8. The Nature of Group Conflict
9. The Evolution of Groups
10. From Groups to Teams: The Evolution of Working Teams in Organizational Life
11. Small Group Processes: Two Contemporary Applications