Individual, Social and Personnel Factors Influencing Modern Code Review Process

Modern (MCR) is a multistage process where developers evaluate source code written by another developer to enhance the software quality. The process is deeply dependent on interactions among the workforce (reviewer, and author) involved in process activities. Interactions among the MCR workforce are roots of various individual, social and personnel factors influencing the MCR process. Multiple research has been performed based on data analysis collected from review tools, surveys, and interviews at a single company concerning factors affecting MCR. However, MCR research is lacking systematized study concerning individual, social and personnel factors influencing the MCR process. Therefore, this study performs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to identify individual, social and personnel factors influencing the MCR process. The study findings highlight individual factors (individual skills, characteristics, emotions, etc.), social factors (trust, relationship, interaction, impression, etc.) and personnel factors (team, team interaction, and reviewer response) that influence the MCR process. Study findings have implications for software engineering researchers performing research in the area and MCR team members to extend the research and perform MCR activities effectively by considering and overcoming the negative impact of identified factors.