Tips and Tricks to Review Code

Great teams use code reviews as a quality gate, not a checkbox. Done right, they catch defects early, improve maintainability, and lift developer productivity. Done poorly, they become nitpicks, slow merges, or rubber-stamp approvals.

Why code reviews matter (fast recap):

• Catch bugs before production (fixes are far cheaper pre-merge).
• Improve design, readability, and long-term maintainability.
• Spread knowledge across the team and onboard faster.

What this guide covers:

• Code review best practices for small, focused PRs and clear context.
• How to review code for design, correctness, tests, and risk, efficiently.
• Writing comments that teach (not torch), and resolving pushback gracefully.
• Using AI code review tools to automate the trivial so humans focus on architecture and intent.
• A lightweight code review process with metrics to keep throughput high.

Let’s dive in.

Establish Clear Code Review Guidelines and Standards
Before you review code, align on the code review process and outcomes. Clarity turns ad-hoc code reviews into a repeatable system that boosts developer productivity and code health.

Define “good” upfront (what makes a good code review)
Document good code review practices so every code reviewer knows the bar for good code and better reviews:

• Readability & clarity: names, comments, and intent are obvious.
• Architecture & design: follows principles; avoids tight coupling; fits the system.
• Correctness & risk: handles edge cases; errors are surfaced; no hidden regressions.
• Security & compliance: no secrets; OWASP-class issues addressed; policies met.
• Tests: meaningful unit/integration tests; failure modes covered.
• Consistency: complies with style guide; aligns with existing patterns.

These are foundational code review best practices, use them as acceptance criteria when you perform a code review.

Put it in a checklist (make it operational)
Create a lightweight checklist in your PR template so code reviewers run the same play every time:

• Problem statement & scope present
• Impacted modules listed
• Tests added/updated
• Security considerations noted
• Rollback/monitoring plan (if relevant)

A checklist standardizes software code review, shortens cycles, and raises review depth, key developer productivity metrics for productivity in engineering.

Separate humans from bots (and reduce noise)

• State clearly what is out of scope for manual coding review:
• Linters/formatters auto-fix formatting, imports, spacing.
• Static analysis / SAST flags obvious bugs and smells.
• AI code review tools (e.g., CodeAnt.ai) surface complexity, duplication, test gaps, and security findings directly in the PR.
• Humans focus on architecture, trade-offs, and maintainability; automation handles the rest. This is how high-performing teams do code reviews without killing software developer productivity.

Classify feedback: blocking vs. non-blocking

• Define severity so decisions are consistent across code reviewers:
• Blocking: correctness, security, major maintainability, policy violations.
• Non-blocking / suggestions: style, small refactors, naming tweaks.
• Use “Nit:” to mark optional comments (that’s literally what “nit means in code review”). It keeps threads focused and reduces friction.

Measure and iterate (close the loop)

• Track developer metrics tied to the code review process:
• Time to first review and time to merge
• PR size bands vs. defect rate
• Review iterations per PR and reviewer load

Use these signals to refine guidelines (e.g., cap PR size, adjust policy gates). With AI assistance, you’ll get better reviews faster, and a clear picture of how to code review effectively at scale.

TL;DR:

Write down what are code reviews for your team, encode the rules in a checklist, automate the trivial with code review tools, and classify feedback. That’s how to do code review consistently, improve developer productivity, and keep quality rising with every PR.

Prepare Your Code Before the Review (Author’s Checklist)

Great code reviews start with a review-ready PR. As the author, your prep determines whether teammates can review code quickly and focus on substance. Use this checklist to streamline the code review process, improve developer productivity, and set up better reviews.

1. Prove it works
2. Self-review the diff
3. Write a crisp PR description
4. Keep the PR small and focused
5. Include tests and edge cases
6. Security, compliance, and policy checks
7. Make it easy to verify

Track Code Review Metrics to Continuously Improve
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. High-performing engineering organizations treat code reviews as an iterative process to be refined. By tracking developer productivity metrics around code reviews, you can identify bottlenecks and areas to optimize in your workflow. Some useful metrics and practices include:

1. Review turnaround time
2. Inspection rate and defect rate
3. Defect density
4. Coverage of reviews
5. Team metrics and knowledge sharing
6. Dashboards and insights
7. Continuous improvement loop

Use insights from your metrics to tweak processes and update review checklists. Over time, this builds a data-driven feedback loop where every sprint’s reviews inform the next, making your software code review culture faster, smarter, and more consistent.

To learn more in detail check out our blog: How to Review Code | Tips and Best Practices here.