Looks Good to Me: Constructive Code Reviews

Deliver code reviews that consistently build up your team and improve your applications.

“Looks Good to Me” offers a unique approach to delivering meaningful code reviews that goes beyond superficial checklists and tense critical conversations. Instead, you’ll learn how to improve both your applications and your team dynamics.

“Looks Good to Me” teaches you how to:

• Understand a code review's benefits proactively prevent loopholes and bottlenecks
• Co-create an objective code review system
• Clarify responsibilities: author, reviewer, team lead/manager, and the team itself
• Establish manageable guidelines and protocols
• Align with your team and explicitly document the policies they will follow
• Automate code quality with linting, formatting, static analysis, and automated testing
• Compose effective comments for any situation
• Consider combining code reviews with pair programming or mob programming
• AI for code reviews

Inside “Looks Good to Me” you’ll find comprehensive coverage of every part of the code review process, from choosing a system to keeping reviews manageable for everyone involved. With this mix of tools, processes, common sense, and compassion, you’ll run a highly effective review process from first commit to final deployment.

Foreword by Scott Hanselman.

About the technology

Transform code reviews into the positive, productive experiences they’re meant to be! Whether it’s your code under the microscope or you’re the one giving the feedback, this sensible guide will help you avoid the tense debates, fruitless nitpicking, and unnecessary bottlenecks you’ve come to expect from code reviews.

About the book

“Looks Good to Me” teaches the considerate, common sense approach to code reviews pioneered by author Adrienne Braganza. You’ll learn how to create a cohesive team environment, align review goals and expectations clearly, and be prepared for any changes or obstacles you may face. Along the way, you’ll master practices that adapt to how your team does things, with multiple options and solutions, relatable scenarios, and personal tidbits. You’ll soon be running highly effective reviews that make your code—and your team—stronger.

What's inside

• Why we do code reviews
• Automate processes for code quality
• Write effective comments

About the reader

For any team member, from developer to lead.

About the author

Adrienne Braganza is an engineer, speaker, instructor, and author of the bestselling book Coding for Kids: Python.

Table of Contents

Part 1
1 The significance of code reviews
2 Dissecting the code review
3 Building your team’s first code review process
Part 2
4 The Team Working Agreement
5 The advantages of automation
6 Composing effective code review comments
Part 3
7 How code reviews can suck
8 Decreasing code review delays
9 Eliminating process loopholes
10 The Emergency Playbook
Part 4
11 Code reviews and pair programming
12 Code reviews and mob programming
13 Code reviews and AI
A Team Working Agreement starter template
B Emergency Playbook starter template
C PR templates
D List of resources

Adrienne Braganza a software engineer, keynote speaker, author of the best selling book Coding for Kids: Python, and a LinkedIn Learning instructor who has taught over 65,000 learners.