3.2.2 Roles and responsibilities in a formal review

A typical formal review will include the roles below:

Author

• Creates the work product under review

• Fixes defects in the work product under review (if necessary)

Management

• Is responsible for review planning

• Decides on the execution of reviews

• Assigns staff, budget, and time

• Monitors ongoing cost-effectiveness

• Executes control decisions in the event of inadequate outcomes

Facilitator (often called moderator)

• Ensures effective running of review meetings (when held)

• Mediates, if necessary, between the various points of view

• Is often the person upon whom the success of the review depends

Review leader

• Takes overall responsibility for the review

• Decides who will be involved and organizes when and where it will take place

Reviewers

• May be subject matter experts, persons working on the project, stakeholders with an interest in the work product, and/or individuals with specific technical or business backgrounds

• Identify potential defects in the work product under review

• May represent different perspectives (e.g., tester, developer, user, operator, business analyst, usability expert, etc.)

Scribe (or recorder)

• Collates potential defects found during the individual review activity

• Records new potential defects, open points, and decisions from the review meeting (when held)

In some review types, one person may play more than one role, and the actions associated with each role may also vary based on review type. In addition, with the advent of tools to support the review process, especially the logging of defects, open points, and decisions, there is often no need for a scribe.

Further, more detailed roles are possible, as described in ISO standard (ISO/IEC 20246).