Reviews and Audits
John J. Marciniak · Encyclopedia of Software Engineering · 2002
Abstract Reviews and audits are valuable tools used in software development projects. Reviews come in different forms and names. Some of these are formal reviews, inspections, audits, and walkthroughs. The most common characteristics that distinguish these forms are purpose, scope, and method. The purpose of this article is to introduce these forms, explain the basic differences between them, and provide insight into how they are applied in software development practice. depicts these general characteristics, which are detailed. The scope of a review may range from the entire project to a review of the design, or a single document such as a user's guide. The purpose may range from an inspection of a product to a review of the completion of a development milestone. The method may vary from free form, or informal, to a specific methodology such as formal inspections.