QUALITY REVIEW

A quality review session is an informal session held with colleagues to review output prior to a product’s release. The key word is informal. It’s not like a board of inquiry, staff meeting, or a checkpoint review meeting. The objective is for frank and open discussions regarding output and deliverables.

To hold an effective quality review session, remember the following points.

• Keep the number of attendees small. Ideally, you want seven to nine attendees, which is not too small or too large to inhibit discussion and still provides opportunities for different opinions.
• Keep the sessions short. Limit them to one or two hours. If the session must go longer, break it into smaller segments to be held at different times.
• Evaluate the output, not the individual. The purpose of a quality review session is to identify shortcomings of the product, not people. All attendees should recognize that this is the spirit of the session. If anyone feels otherwise, personalities will clash, and nothing will be accomplished other than drawing battle lines.
• Limit attendance by peers. Under no circumstances should management attend. The reason for this is that other attendees, including the developer of the product, may feel they are being evaluated and will be less inclined to speak their minds.
• Take notes, not minutes, on ideas that may improve the product. In fact, you may want to revise the product at the review session. However, the best approach is to record all suggestions, return to your desk, and incorporate those ideas that have merit.

The benefits of a quality review session are obvious. They encourage open discussion about the product, not people. They also foster a safe environment for identifying shortcomings of output and encourage creative thinking about how to overcome them.

for Conducting a Quality Review

• Determine the purpose.
• Set up the date, time, and location.
• Develop an agenda.
• Invite attendees.
• Distribute material for review in advance, if possible.
• Conduct the session.
• Take notes during the review.
• Incorporate feedback.