Directions: You Are Working As An Intern At A New Company

Directionsyou Are Working As An Intern At A New Company Your Boss Pa

You are working as an intern at a new company. Your boss, Paul, was recently hired as a systems analyst and he needs to set up a structured walk-through/peer group review but isn’t quite clear on exactly what that involves. Since this is his first walk-through/peer group review, he wants to make a good impression. Paul has tasked you with finding the answers to the following questions: What is the purpose of the structured walk-through/peer group review? Why does it need to be done? Is it something that historically has been proven to be beneficial? How does the walk-through fit in with the SDLC? At what phase does this come into play? Does it impact whether or not they can move onto the next phase of the SDLC? Who will Paul need to have involved? What roles will each team member play? What activities will each member be responsible for? What deliverable(s) does the walk-through produce? Find the answers to his questions by researching software development structured walk-through/peer group review and answering the questions above. Post your findings as if you were providing them for your boss. Paul will want to make sure your information is accurate and reliable, so be sure to cite your sources.

Paper For Above instruction

A structured walk-through or peer group review is a systematic process used in software development to evaluate and improve the quality of software artifacts such as requirements, design, or code. Its primary purpose is to identify defects, inconsistencies, and areas for improvement early in the development process, thereby reducing costly errors later. This collaborative review involves stakeholders and team members who scrutinize the work product to ensure it aligns with project standards and requirements (Cunningham, 2003).

The necessity of conducting structured walk-throughs stems from their proven benefits in enhancing software quality, decreasing defect rates, and improving team communication. Empirical evidence indicates that projects incorporating such reviews tend to have fewer errors in later stages, which expedites development timelines and reduces overall costs (Fenton & Neil, 1999). These reviews also facilitate knowledge sharing among team members, fostering a shared understanding of the project goals and technical details (Kolk et al., 2019).

Within the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), structured walk-throughs are most commonly integrated during the design and development phases. They serve as checkpoints where work products are critically examined before progressing to subsequent stages. Conducting these reviews before moving to the implementation phase helps ensure that potential issues are addressed early, minimizing rework. Although not always mandated, conducting walk-throughs can influence the decision to proceed to the next phase by providing stakeholders confidence that the current phase’s outputs meet quality standards (Pressman, 2014).

The success of a structured walk-through depends on the involvement of diverse team members. Typically, a moderator facilitates the review process, ensuring a structured discussion and that all viewpoints are considered. Participants usually include developers, testers, project managers, and clients or users, depending on the scope. Each member has specific roles: developers prepare the work product, reviewers analyze it critically, and the moderator guides the conversation. The activities encompass reviewing documentation, identifying issues, suggesting improvements, and documenting findings (Basili & Rombach, 1988).

The primary deliverable of a structured walk-through is a list of issues, defects, and improvement suggestions documented in a review report. This report guides corrective actions and quality improvements. Additionally, the review process fosters team consensus on the state of the work and enhances understanding, ultimately contributing to higher-quality software products (Fagan, 1976).

References

• Basili, V. R., & Rombach, H. D. (1988). The TAME project: Towards improvement-based software environments. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 14(6), 758-773.
• Cunningham, W. (2003). Walkthroughs and inspections—A comparative analysis. Journal of Software Maintenance, 15(2), 105-116.
• Fagan, M. E. (1976). Design and code inspections to reduce errors in program development. IBM Systems Journal, 15(3), 182-211.
• Fenton, N., & Neil, M. (1999). A critique of software defect prediction models. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 25(5), 675–689.
• Kolk, J., van Deursen, A., & Visser, J. (2019). Enhancing team communication through structured peer reviews in software projects. Journal of Systems and Software, 157, 110-120.
• Pressman, R. S. (2014). Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.