Prepare for peer reviews of selected work products

Preparation activities for peer reviews typically include identifying the staff who will be invited to participate in the peer review of each work product, identifying the key reviewers who must participate in the peer review, preparing and updating any materials that will be used during the peer reviews (such as checklists and review criteria), and scheduling peer reviews.

• Determine what type of peer review will be conducted. Examples of types of peer reviews include:
  • Inspections
  • Structured walkthroughs
  • Active reviews
• Define requirements for collecting data during the peer review.
• Establish and maintain entry and exit criteria for the peer review.
• Establish and maintain criteria for requiring another peer review.
• Establish and maintain checklists to ensure that the work products are reviewed consistently. Examples of items addressed by the checklists include:
  • Rules of construction
  • Design guidelines
  • Completeness
  • Correctness
  • Maintainability
  • Common defect types
  The checklists are modified as necessary to address the specific type of work product and peer review. The peers of the checklist developers and potential users review the checklists.
• Develop a detailed peer review schedule, including the dates for peer review training and for when materials for peer reviews will be available.
• Ensure that the work product satisfies the peer review entry criteria prior to distribution. Distribute the work product to be reviewed and its related information to the participants early enough to enable participants to adequately prepare for the peer review.
• Assign roles for the peer review as appropriate. Examples of roles include:
  • Leader
  • Reader
  • Recorder
  • Author
• Prepare for the peer review by reviewing the work product prior to conducting the peer review.