Force.com Code Review Checklists

I am a big advocate of code reviews. I strongly encourage every team to adopt code reviews before merging each one's contribution into the codebase. Code reviews don't take long and have many benefits:

• they make developers learn from each other
• they encourage people to write better code
• they help disseminating best practices
• they help keeping the code internally consistent and easier to maintain
• they reduce costs due to later reworks

These are the checklists I use for code reviews when working on Force.com projects. Enjoy!

Tips for developers

• Keep your code simple. Do not overcomplicate problems.
• Keep your code easy to read for humans.
• Avoid everything that is not necessary: every line of code that is not needed is a potential bug.
• Remember that the point of reviews is to spot problems. Don't take things personally.
• Accept you will make mistakes.

Tips for reviewers

• Code reviews should last no more than 15 minutes.
• Try to review no more than 400 lines of code at a time.
• Ask questions rather than making statements.
• Avoid asking "Why did you do X?". Ask instead "Have you considered Y?"
• Treat people who know less than you with respect and patience.
• Remember to praise.
• Remember that there is often more than one way to approach a solution.