Which type of review has the purpose of discussing, making decisions, evaluating alternatives, and finding defects?

The type of review that is focused on discussing, making decisions, evaluating alternatives, and finding defects is the technical review. In this review process, participants come together to evaluate software artifacts and provide feedback, often with the specific objective of enhancing the quality of the work being reviewed.

Technical reviews are structured and involve people who have the appropriate technical expertise to assess the work thoroughly. The discussions in a technical review can lead to informed decisions about issues such as design choices, implementation strategies, or potential defects. This collaborative environment enables team members to contribute their perspectives and suggest possible solutions, thereby fostering a richer evaluation of alternatives.

While other types of reviews also serve important purposes, they lack the specific combination of comprehensive discussion, decision-making, and defect identification that characterizes technical reviews. For instance, inspections are more formalized and highly structured, focusing primarily on defect detection, whereas walkthroughs typically serve as a means for sharing knowledge rather than a decision-making forum. Informal reviews are usually less structured and often do not involve a formal process for decision-making or evaluating alternatives.