How to do code review that helps your team grow

Strong code review is less about catching mistakes and more about building reliable systems and better engineers. Done well, it improves code quality, spreads knowledge, and reduces long-term maintenance costs.

What to Look for in Every Review

Start with intent before details. Ask: does this change do what it claims?

Correctness: Does the logic match requirements and edge cases?

Simplicity: Is there a simpler way to achieve the same outcome?

Consistency: Does it follow existing patterns and conventions?

Scope: Is the change appropriately sized, or doing too much at once?

Test coverage: Are important paths and edge cases tested?

A useful mental model: “Would I feel comfortable owning this code six months from now?”

Reviewing for Correctness

Correctness is the baseline; everything else is secondary.

Validate logic paths, especially edge cases and failure modes.

Check assumptions about inputs, states, and dependencies.

Look for off-by-one errors,…