Waiting on feedback for a pull request (PR) can be a significant bottleneck in software development. Pull request feedback speed directly impacts the velocity of a team, as un-reviewed code can delay new features, bug fixes, and overall progress. This guide focuses on how to get PR feedback faster. We'll outline some strategies to optimize the feedback loop, reduce friction, and accelerate the code review process.
1. Break down your pull requests
Smaller pull requests tend to get reviewed faster as they are easier for reviewers to understand, and digest. Instead of submitting massive PRs, aim for incremental changes that focus on specific features or fixes.
Why smaller PRs help:
- Reviewers can complete reviews quickly, which helps improve pull request feedback speed.
- Code reviewers are more likely to catch bugs when they are only reviewing a few lines of code instead of hundreds.
- Large pull requests tend to be pushed to the back of a review queue, causing delays.
How to break down large changes:
- Break down features into smaller tasks that can be handled independently.
- Use feature flags or branches to isolate incomplete features, allowing you to merge small chunks of work progressively.
- Stack your PRs.
2. Leverage automation and linters
Automating tasks that are typically performed manually can significantly speed up feedback for PRs. Static analysis tools and linters can automatically flag things like formatting issues, potential bugs, and style inconsistencies before a human reviewer even looks at the code.
Recommended automation tools:
- Linters: Automatically catch code style and syntax issues with tools like ESLint.
- Automated test suites: Run unit and integration tests on each commit to ensure that changes don’t break anything. For example, you could try Jest, which is a JavaScript testing framework designed for simplicity in running unit tests.
- Continuous integration ( CI): Set up CI pipelines using tools like GitHub Actions or Jenkins to automatically test and validate your code as soon as it is pushed. This automation ensures that the review process is more focused on logic and functionality rather than finding small bugs.
- Code review tools: Tools like Graphite speed up PR feedback time by providing intelligent automation and a streamlined code review workflow that helps reviewers focus on the high-impact aspects of code changes.
These tools ensure that when the reviewer starts the review, they can focus on more holistic things like logic, design, and architecture instead of minor details to prevent lengthy feedback loops.
3. Set expectations and assign the right reviewers
Accelerating feedback for PRs often comes down to setting clear expectations with your team and making sure that the right people are reviewing the right pull requests. The following strategies can help:
- Designated reviewers: For certain types of PRs (like front-end or back-end), designate specific developers as the primary reviewers. This adds consistency and prevents PRs from bouncing between team members.
- Tagging appropriate reviewers: GitHub allows you to assign reviewers or request feedback directly from specific people. Always tag team members with relevant expertise to review your code.
- Shared review guidelines: Define team review guidelines so everyone knows what is expected, and developers can align their PRs accordingly, resulting in fewer rounds of feedback and faster PR feedback cycles.
Additionally, set a clear timeframe or SLAs (service level agreements) for feedback so that reviewers understand the urgency, e.g., "Please review within 24 hours".
4. Provide context in the pull request description
A well-written PR description helps reviewers understand the purpose of the code changes without having to dig through each line, which consequentially speeds up PR feedback cycles.
Tips for writing a helpful description:
- Summarize the goal: Explain what the PR does in simple terms, what issue it solves, and the context around the changes.
- Link to related tasks :Add links to Jira tickets, issues, or design documents that might help the reviewer understand the bigger picture.
- Highlight key sections: If there are specific areas that require extra attention, make sure to highlight them in the description.
By making the PR easier to understand, you can get faster code review feedback and minimize back-and-forth communication.
5. Follow up on pending reviews
Sometimes PRs get stuck in the review queue because the assigned reviewer is busy or the notification is lost. To improve PR feedback time, it's essential to follow up without being overbearing. If a PR is critical to the team’s progress, politely ping the reviewer or post a message in the team channel to bring it to their attention.
Tips for effective follow-up:
- If it's been more than 24-48 hours without feedback, check in with the reviewer to ensure they’ve seen it.
- Be considerate of the reviewer’s workload. If they are too busy, suggest reassigning the PR to another team member.
- Avoid spamming the reviewer with too many reminders; space out follow-up requests respectfully.
6. Peer reviews and early feedback
Getting early feedback before the official review can help identify issues that might otherwise slow down the process. Consider having a peer developer look over your code before submitting the PR for a formal review. This step can uncover simple issues early and reduce the amount of feedback needed during the formal review process.
7. Use code review tools that facilitate collaboration
Choosing the right tools, such as GitHub and Graphite, is critical for improving PR feedback time. GitHub provides collaborative features like inline comments, suggestions, and threaded discussions, allowing reviewers to engage directly with the code and discuss changes efficiently. Integrating Graphite into this workflow further enhances pull request feedback speed by offering intelligent automation that identifies potential issues early, thus reducing manual reviewer workload. Together, GitHub and Graphite streamline the code review process, making it easier to get fast code review feedback while improving team collaboration and reducing delays.
Streamlining code reviews for faster feedback
The key to getting fast code review feedback lies in simplifying and optimizing the entire process, from creating manageable PRs to leveraging automation. Following the best practices outlined above will help you improve PR feedback time and reduce bottlenecks that slow down development. By focusing on clear communication, automation, and smaller changes, you can make the code review process much more efficient and collaborative for your teams.
