Code reviews: Common roadblocks freelance IT consultants face and how to overcome them

Why code review is essential

Understanding code review is the first step in appreciating its importance.

Code reviews, or peer code reviews, involve examining someone else’s code to identify errors, improve code quality, and ensure that the code aligns with the project’s goals.

The benefits of code reviews are numerous, including quality assurance, reduced technical debt, and a more collaborative software development process.

But if you’re a freelance IT consultant, you might face some unique challenges in the code review process.

This blog post aims to shed light on these roadblocks and offer practical solutions to overcome them.

Common roadblocks in the code review process

Being the only person on the project

When you’re a freelance IT consultant and the sole developer on a project, a traditional peer review is hard to come by. You’re left to review your own code, and this can make you miss some things.

How to overcome it:

Pair programming: Find another developer who’s willing to team up with you temporarily. You can review each other’s code and get fresh perspectives.

Automated tools: Employ software that performs static analysis on your code. These tools can catch errors, inefficiencies, or code smells that you might overlook.

Crowdsourced reviews: You can also post your code snippets on forums or developer communities. A peer code review like this can provide insights and catch issues you may have missed.

Self-reviews with a checklist: Create a detailed checklist that includes best practices, common errors to avoid, and other quality metrics. Go through this checklist rigorously each time you review your own code. It serves as a guide and helps you maintain a high standard.

External audits: Consider contracting an experienced developer or a code review service for a comprehensive audit of your code at major milestones. These experts can provide thorough feedback and identify areas for improvement that you may have overlooked.

Lack of familiarity with existing code

Joining a project midway is a typical situation for freelancers, and it can be tough to get the hang of the existing codebase and development flow.

How to overcome it:

Code inspections: Take the time to dive deep into the existing code. It helps you get familiar with how things are set up.

Consult with senior developers: Reach out to people who have worked on the project before. Their advice can be invaluable.

Documentation review: Go through any existing project documentation to understand how the code fits together. This can speed up the process of getting comfortable with the codebase.

Annotated debugging: Use debugging tools to step through the existing code. This gives you a real-time view of how the code functions. As you debug, make annotations or comments to help you remember the purpose of specific code blocks.

Learning tests: Write unit tests for parts of the existing codebase to validate your understanding. Creating these tests can be a learning exercise that also contributes to the project. Writing tests gives you a deeper understanding of the code’s behavior and requirements.

Limited access to team members

Being a freelancer often means you’re not as plugged into the development team as full-time staff. This makes organizing peer reviews a bit tricky.

How to overcome it:

Scheduled reviews: Nail down specific times with team members who can review your code. Consistency makes the process smoother for everyone.

Online platforms: Take advantage of tools designed for code review that allow for asynchronous interactions. This way, people can give feedback when it’s convenient for them.

Virtual office hours: Consider setting up a virtual “open door” period where team members can drop in to discuss code. It’s a good way to foster real-time collaboration even when you’re remote.

Batched feedback sessions: Collect several pieces of code that need review and schedule a session to go through them all at once. This makes efficient use of everyone’s time and keeps the review process streamlined.

Rotating reviewers: Create a rotating schedule where different team members are responsible for code reviews at different times. This method not only helps with scheduling but also brings diverse perspectives to the code review process.

Tools and practices to improve code reviews

Automated tests

Automated tests, such as unit tests, can be a lifesaver in the code review process. They quickly identify bugs and ensure that the code changes don’t break existing functionalities.

Software inspections

In addition to peer code reviews, software inspections involve a more in-depth examination of the source code. These are usually conducted by senior developers and focus on the architecture and design patterns used.

Knowledge transfer

One of the key benefits of code reviews is the transfer of knowledge among team members. Even as a freelancer, you can document your review process and findings to help future developers understand the code better.

Code review checklists

Making a checklist for code reviews can help keep things organized. Checklists point out what you need to look at, like code quality or how easy the code is to read. You can make special checklists for different kinds of projects.

Interactive annotations

You can use tools that let you mark up code directly. These marks act like comments right next to the code. This helps everyone talk about specific lines of code and keeps the conversation focused.

Time-boxed review sessions

Set a fixed amount of time for code reviews. Doing this stops endless discussions and helps you finish reviews more quickly. This is really useful when you don’t have a lot of time, like in freelance work.

Real-time collaboration tools

Use tools that let team members review code at the same time. This makes the review go faster and lets you talk about problems right away.

Code review bots

Add bots that can do basic checks on your code before people look at it. These bots can find simple mistakes, which lets human reviewers focus on the more tricky parts of the code.

Review metrics

Track data about how long reviews take, how many issues get found, and what kinds of issues come up. This information can help you get better at doing reviews over time.

These tools and methods can make your code reviews better, whether you’re working by yourself or with a team.

Conclusion

Code reviews are an integral part of quality software development. While freelance IT consultants may face unique challenges in the review process, various strategies and tools can help overcome these roadblocks. From pair programming and automated tools to software inspections and knowledge transfer, the options are numerous. So the next time you find yourself stuck in the code review process, remember the tips from this blog post. They might just make your coding process a whole lot smoother.