Managing and Reviewing Pull Requests
Pull Requests (PRs) are at the heart of modern development workflows — whether you're contributing to open source, collaborating in a team, or just working on a solo project with good habits. In this post, I’ll walk through a practical exercise I completed to simulate the full lifecycle of a PR, using two different user accounts to represent both the author and the reviewer.
The Task
The goal was to simulate the real-world process of:
- Logging in as User A to create a pull request targeting the
masterbranch - Logging in as User B (a reviewer) to review and merge that pull request
Simple, but effective for understanding the mechanics and best practices of collaborative code management.
Step-by-Step Workflow
1. Login as User A – PR Creator
- I switched to the account representing User A
- Opened a Pull Request for an existing branch, targeting
master - Added a clear title and a concise description
- Assigned User B as a reviewer
2. Login as User B – Reviewer
- Switched to the account representing User B
- Navigated to the newly created PR
- Reviewed the code and description
- Left a comment to simulate collaboration
- Approved and merged the PR
- Deleted the feature branch after merging (optional)
Why Pull Requests Matter
Pull Requests aren't just about merging code. They add real value to the development process:
- Code Review: Catch bugs early, improve logic, and share knowledge
- Traceability: Provide a clear history of changes and the reasons behind them
- Automation: Trigger CI/CD workflows to run tests, linters, and builds
- Collaboration: Centralize discussion, questions, and suggestions
- Quality Gatekeeping: Protect main branches from incomplete or unreviewed code
Best Practices for Pull Requests
For PR Creators:
- Keep PRs focused: Limit each PR to a single change or purpose
- Use clear titles and descriptions: Explain both what the change is and why it’s needed
- Maintain clean commit history: Squash or rebase before merging if necessary
- Run tests before pushing: Don’t rely only on automated checks
- Assign appropriate reviewers: Ensure relevant people are involved
For Reviewers:
- Read the PR carefully: Understand the purpose and scope of the changes
- Give constructive feedback: Focus on clarity, quality, and improvement
- Test locally if needed: Especially for complex or critical changes
- Review in a timely manner: Keep the workflow moving and avoid blockers
- Don’t approve blindly: Take responsibility for what goes into the main branch
Final Thoughts
This simple exercise was a helpful reminder of how essential PRs are to any structured development workflow. Even for solo developers, following a disciplined PR process keeps your project clean, maintainable, and collaboration-ready.
If you're new to PRs or GitHub workflows, try setting up a similar simulation in a test repository. It’s a practical way to build confidence in creating, reviewing, and merging code.
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