How do you learn from code reviews and feedback in SDLC?

1 Understand the purpose

Before you submit your code for review or start reviewing someone else's code, you should understand the purpose and the goals of the code review process. Code reviews are not meant to judge your abilities, personality, or preferences, but to ensure that your code meets the standards, requirements, and best practices of the project. Code reviews are also an opportunity to learn from each other, share knowledge, and find bugs or errors that might have been overlooked. Therefore, you should approach code reviews with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a respect for the feedback.

2 Prepare your code

To make the code review process smoother and more efficient, you should prepare your code before submitting it for review. This means that you should follow the coding conventions, style guides, and documentation guidelines of the project, and make sure that your code is readable, organized, and commented. You should also test your code thoroughly, fix any obvious errors or bugs, and provide a clear description of what your code does, why you made certain decisions, and what issues or questions you have. By preparing your code, you will show that you care about the quality of your work, and you will make it easier for the reviewers to understand and evaluate your code.

3 Receive feedback gracefully

When you receive feedback on your code, you should appreciate the time and effort that the reviewers spent on your code, and acknowledge their comments and suggestions. You should not take feedback personally, or get defensive or angry if the feedback is negative or different from what you expected. Instead, you should try to understand the feedback, ask questions if something is unclear, and explain your reasoning if you disagree. You should also be open to learning from the feedback, and apply the changes or improvements that make sense for your code. By receiving feedback gracefully, you will show that you respect the reviewers, and that you are willing to grow as a developer.

4 Give feedback respectfully

When you give feedback on someone else's code, you should be respectful, constructive, and specific. You should not criticize the person, but focus on the code and how it can be improved. You should also not impose your preferences or opinions, but follow the standards and requirements of the project. You should provide clear and concrete examples of what you like or dislike about the code, and explain why and how it can be changed. You should also balance your feedback with positive and negative points, and appreciate the effort and skills of the developer. By giving feedback respectfully, you will show that you care about the code quality, and that you are willing to help the developer.

5 Follow up and learn

After the code review process is completed, you should follow up on the feedback and the changes that you or the developer made. You should thank the reviewers or the developer for their feedback, and confirm that you understand and agree with the changes. You should also test the code again, and make sure that it works as intended and that it meets the expectations. Finally, you should learn from the code review process, and reflect on what you did well, what you can improve, and what new skills or knowledge you gained. By following up and learning, you will show that you value the code review process, and that you are committed to improving your code and your development skills.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?