Improving Code Quality

 What is code quality ? Well the definition will to some extent be determined by the context in which the software is used, however typically it will include : fitness for purpose, meeting the requirements - efficiently and reliably, and  code readability and maintainability. 


How do we improve code quality ? Beyond personal skill, experience and attention to detail, the use of code reviews and static and dynamic analysis are thought to improve quality. Research by Microsoft(C) and Google (C) has shown that 80% of code reviews trigger a change, inferring that both the reviewer and reviewee agreed upon a change to improve the original code. 


Static Analysis Tools

IAR C-STAT

Visual Studio tool

Code Complexity Tool

Lizard: http://www.lizard.ws/


References

Greiler, M. (2020) Episode 400: Greiler on Code Review, Software Engineering Radio,[Online]. Available at https://www.se-radio.net/2020/02/episode-400-michaela-greiler-on-code-reviews/ (Accessed 29 October 2020)



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Code review resources

Code reviews are an important part of any software development process, and will improve code quality if the supporting workflow has been implemented correctly, and ideally with appropriate tool support.  Dr.Michaela Greiler An excellent resource I have recently discovered is that of Dr.Michaela Greiler, which is here: Hi and Welcome - Doctor McKayla (michaelagreiler.com) And her checklist for your reviews is here:  A Code Review Checklist - Focus on the Important Issues - Doctor McKayla (michaelagreiler.com) Process And an interesting article about the etiquette of code reviews (how you present feedback is critical to ensure a positive ongoing working relationship !)  is here : Top Code Review Best Practices | Built In   Tools A useful list of code review support tools can be found here: The Top Code Review Tools | WhiteSource (whitesourcesoftware.com) One such open source tool being Gerrit, available here: Gerrit Code Review | Gerrit Code Review
Read more

Careers in Advanced Automation

Advanced automation is a trend which is only set to accelerate, and even faster now companies will not only attempt to optimise their manufacturing processes to reduce cost but also limit human involvement which has proved so difficult during the Covid pandemic.   These aims lead to increased automation, including the advanced robotic and vision systems we are now encountering. Jeff Chapman has his own recruitment consultancy specialising in advanced automation, and discusses his unique insight during an interview on the Robot Nation podcast (Chapman, 2020). His observations are relevant to both engineers seeking employment in the industry, and to employers. The employment market is changing, with job seekers now able to easily research a company online, build a good understanding of the organisation, including the products and services it offers, its current business  position, and even how employees who work their rate the company and it's working environment. In the m...
Read more

Finding (and Getting !) Your Industrial Placement

Many engineering undergraduate courses appear to offer an industrial placement, possibly the third year of your degree during which you have the opportunity of working for an organisation offering a role aligned with your course.  If this is available, I would strongly encourage you to take up this opportunity.  From my personal experience,  it puts into perspective the academic theory of your course,  enables you to see how the real world works,  observe and engage in the many activities required to run a business,  helps to confirm whether your initial chosen career path is really the one for you or find out what you would really like to do, and  enables you to build up your CV - and  possibly provide an income for the year. How do I get a placement ? Well, it isn't going to just fall into your lap ! - you need to plan, prepare, and actively work towards getting that placement - you will have competition for the places on offer.  Firstly, s...
Read more