Overview
The purpose of technical peer reviews is to remove defects as early as possible in the development process. By removing defects at their origin (e.g., requirements and design documents, test plans and procedures, software code, etc.), technical peer reviews prevent defects from propagating through multiple phases and work products, and reduce the overall amount of rework necessary on projects.
In addition, improved team efficiency is a side effect of technical peer reviews (e.g., by improving team communication, integrating the viewpoints of various engineering specialty disciplines, more quickly bringing new members up to speed, and educating project members about effective development practices).
In CMMI, peer reviews are used as a principle means of verification in the Verification process area and as an objective evaluation method in the Process and Product Quality Assurance process area. The results of technical peer reviews can be reported at milestone reviews. (See Milestone (project management).)
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