#189 - The Art of Awesome Code Reviews - Michaela Greiler

Tech Lead Journal

“A lot of problems that we are facing in code review are due to the interface. We are not actually giving feedback to a person, but we are just filling in text boxes and looking at code."

Dr. Michaela Greiler is a code review advocate and runs the “Awesome Code Reviews” workshops. In this episode, we discuss the importance of making code reviews awesome. We discuss the common challenges of code reviews, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that considers both the technical and social aspects. Michaela also shares insights on how to assess and improve code review practices within teams, highlighting the code review quadrant of review speed and feedback value.

Our discussion further explores the correlation between code reviews and developer experience, emphasizing the role of psychological safety and a positive feedback culture. Finally, Michaela provides valuable tips on code review tools and techniques, including the use of checklists and strategies for managing context switching.

If you’re looking to enhance your team’s code review process and foster a positive developer experience, listen now and take your code reviews to the next level!

Listen out for:

• Career Journey - [00:01:53]
• Awesome Code Review - [00:05:33]
• Assessing Code Review Practices - [00:11:41]
• Code Review Speed - [00:18:23]
• Code Review & Developer Experience - [00:23:31]
• Improving Code Review Cultural Aspect - [00:29:13]
• Code Review Tools - [00:35:36]
• Code Review Techniques - [00:42:11]
• Context Switching - [00:48:15]
• 3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:54:14]

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Michaela Greiler’s Bio
For over 15 years, Michaela Greiler has helped software teams build high-quality software in an efficient and effective way. Her mission is to lead teams to unlock their full potential during company workshops and team coaching sessions. She shares her findings through articles on her blog or in scientific journals, in publications such as freecodecamp and at conferences. She also runs a weekly newsletter that more than 2500 people enjoy. In this newsletter, she shares her thoughts on relevant software engineering topics and helps you stay up-to-date. She’s also the host of the software engineering unlocked podcast. Here, she interviews experienced developers, product managers and CTOs about how they build software.

Follow Michaela:

• Awesome Code Reviews – awesomecodereviews.com
• Personal Website – michaelagreiler.com
• LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/mgreiler
• Twitter – @mgreiler
• SE Unlocked Podcast – softwareengineeringunlocked.com

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