A Shout-out to Specification Review: Techniques for an efficient review of Programming Specifications
Sajeet Pavate, Jhelum Naik · 2014
One of the most common reasons for poor quality of programming output, higher costs due to large number of programming hours and missed timelines is poorly written programming specifications (specs). A thorough independent review of the specifications by competent programmers and/or statisticians prior to programming activities is an important safety net to ensure the specs are in a suitable form for programming. This early intervention eliminates the risks to deliverable in terms of quality, costs and timelines. This paper provides clear guidelines, tips and techniques to empower spec reviewers to perform an efficient spec review. This paper provides techniques for spec review that can be implemented for different types of deliverables such as Transformed/Mapped Data, Analysis Database, Tables, Listings and Figures and for different types of organizations such as CROs and pharmaceutical companies. The techniques discussed in this paper can also be adapted and used in organizations which have built-in standard specs – it empowers the foot soldiers on the project team to identify and raise concerns that may not be evident in standards generated by a working group or standards committee.