Ask Your Dev Team how they do code reviews
Code reviews catch what tests can't. Learn why your developer's review process matters and what a good one looks like.
Tests catch bugs. Code reviews catch everything else.
What is a code review?
A code review is when one developer reads and evaluates another developer’s code before it’s merged into the main codebase. Think of it like an editor reviewing an article before it’s published. The article might be factually correct, but the editor checks for clarity, consistency, tone, and structure.
In software, a code review checks for:
- Readability: Can another developer understand this code six months from now?
- Maintainability: Is this code structured in a way that’s easy to modify and extend?
- Architectural decisions: Does this approach fit the broader system, or does it introduce unnecessary complexity?
- Best practices: Does the code follow the team’s established patterns and standards?
- Edge cases: Are there scenarios the original developer might have missed?
These are things automated tests can’t catch. A test tells you the code works. A review tells you the code is good.
A process, not a favor
Your developer should have a predetermined, established code review process. This isn’t something that should be done ad hoc or “when there’s time.” It should be baked into how they work.
Ask them to explain their code review process. You’re looking for specifics: When does a review happen? Who does the reviewing? What are they looking for? How do they handle disagreements?
If the answer is vague, generic, or sounds like they’re making it up on the spot, that’s a red flag. A team that doesn’t have a clear review process is a team that’s winging it on quality.
Who reviews the code?
Not all reviewers are equal. A good development team has an organizational hierarchy for code reviews, and they should be able to articulate it.
At a minimum, there should be a senior-level developer involved in the review process. Senior developers have the experience to spot architectural mistakes, enforce coding standards, and catch subtle issues that a junior developer might miss. Their involvement directly reduces error rates and improves the long-term health of your codebase.
Ask your developer:
- “Who reviews the code?” You’re looking for named roles or levels, not “we all review each other’s code” without further explanation.
- “Is there a senior developer involved?” If all reviews are peer-to-peer with no senior oversight, quality checks are weaker.
- “What happens if a reviewer finds a problem?” There should be a feedback loop: the issue is flagged, the original developer addresses it, and the reviewer confirms the fix before the code moves forward.
Why this matters to you
You’ll never see a code review happen. It’s invisible to you as a client. But its absence shows up in ways you will feel: more bugs, harder-to-maintain software, slower feature development over time, and higher costs when you eventually need to bring in a new team.
A strong code review process is one of the clearest indicators of a mature development team. It means they care about quality beyond just “does it work.”
Expect better. Build better.