Code reviews. Two words that can elicit visions of the last hurdle to conquer before one’s hard work is released into production.

For the reviewee, it can also be difficult having work scrutinized, line by line. For the reviewer, it can become a chore lacking direction and process.

However, code reviews don’t have to be something that fills anyone with dread. Here are the three tips for more delightful and effective code reviews.
Prepare code reviews
Preparing for the review is the responsibility of the reviewee. Two techniques which ensure more productive reviews are having small pull requests and providing information to the reviewers.

Small pull requests of 200 lines of code or less are the optimal size for catching defects in code reviews. This can be achieved by creating a pull request for one piece of functionality, unit tests, or, for large code changes, only submitting 200 lines of code at a time if possible.

Background information on the pull request goes a long way in giving reviewers context. It could include a description of the feature or bug fix, comments where necessary, and which solution, project or part of the system this code is found in.

#effective code reviews