What is Walkthrough?

Walkthroughs are semi formal types of reviews.The programmer or developer who has written the code formally presents it to a group of five or six programmers.The participants or reviewers receive the copy in advance so that they can comment or even ask questions during the review.To make a review more effective atleast one senior programmer is expected.

The presenter reads the code line by line,function by function to the participants.The reviewers raise anything that looks out to be suspicious.It is very important for a presenter to write a report after the review to tell how he will address any issues that are discovered during the review.

Walkthroughs are not as effective as inspections.

What is Inspection?

Inspections are highly effective as compared to other reviews.

Inspection is the most formal type of review.The person who presents the code is not the original programmer.The other person needs to learn and understand which gives a different interpretation.The other participants are referred to as inspectors.Every participant is expected to review the code from different perspective.

One inspector also reviews the code in backward direction.

One inspector is also asked to take task of recorder who ensures rules are followed during review process.

After inspection is done the inspectors might meet again to discuss the defects found.In some cases  when critical bugs are found re-inspection  is also done.

Formal Review

Formal review is a a process under which static white box testing is performed.

The four essential elements of formal review are :

1.Identify Problems:The goal is to find problems with software such as  missing items,wrong items.The criticism should be directed to the code and not the person who has written the code.

2.Follow the rules:Fixed set of rules are to be followed.It may be how many lines of code(LOC) is to be reviewed in the prescribed time(like 2 hours).Make a rule for writing the comments etc.

3.Prepare:Every participant must prepare for and contribute to the review.Different reviews have different roles.

4.Write a Report:A written report is prepared which contains the results of the review.The report may contain information like how many problems where found,where and when.