Your team member keeps brushing off code review feedback. How do you tactfully address this recurring issue?
When a team member repeatedly brushes off code review comments, it's crucial to approach the issue constructively. To ensure your feedback is heard and implemented:
- Discuss the importance of code reviews for quality assurance and team learning during your next team meeting.
- Set clear expectations for how feedback should be addressed and establish a follow-up process.
- Offer one-on-one mentorship or pair programming sessions to help them understand and apply the suggestions.
How have you successfully handled such situations in your team?
Your team member keeps brushing off code review feedback. How do you tactfully address this recurring issue?
When a team member repeatedly brushes off code review comments, it's crucial to approach the issue constructively. To ensure your feedback is heard and implemented:
- Discuss the importance of code reviews for quality assurance and team learning during your next team meeting.
- Set clear expectations for how feedback should be addressed and establish a follow-up process.
- Offer one-on-one mentorship or pair programming sessions to help them understand and apply the suggestions.
How have you successfully handled such situations in your team?
-
To tactfully address a team member consistently brushing off code review feedback, start by having a private, respectful conversation. Emphasize the importance of code reviews as a learning and quality improvement tool, not a critique of their skills. Explain how feedback helps maintain code consistency, prevent bugs, and ensure team collaboration. Encourage them to view it as a growth opportunity and a chance to improve the project’s overall success. Ask if there are any barriers to implementing the feedback and offer support. Reinforce a culture of openness and learning, where everyone benefits from shared insights.
-
When a team member disregards code review feedback, I start by emphasizing the value of code reviews during a team meeting—highlighting their role in quality assurance and knowledge sharing. Setting clear expectations for how feedback should be addressed is key, along with a follow-up process to ensure changes are made. Offering one-on-one mentorship or pairing sessions also helps the team member better understand the feedback.
-
I'd start by trying to understand the underlying reasoning behind it. Often, the feedback may be deprioritized and not disregarded, due to a lack of time [urgent deadlines] or relevance. What worked well for me is, if the feedback is disregarded I create a tracking item [eg. JIRA ticket] for said changes & assign it to the person with a deadline, making sure that the changes get picked up them or someone else in the team. This makes sure that the overall code quality is not going down. As to the person involved, I would first try to fix it myself and see if it could be done in due time and quality. If yes, I would address this in a 1:1 with the above example of how to do it.
-
Escalate. It's not your job to ensure that feedback is incorporated, it's theirs. If they're not doing that, their management needs to know. We often fear escalation because we treat it as about winning. It's not, it's about clarity. If you think your feedback has value, and the other person doesn't, you might talk to them, but the reason you have a code review process is that management expects it'll result in better code, and it's not.
-
Fire people who don't cooperate with their colleagues. Code is created together, not alone. People who do not listen to others always cause harm to the company and their colleagues.
-
When a team member keeps brushing off code review feedback, I focus on reinforcing the importance of reviews for both quality and team growth during meetings. Setting clear expectations on how feedback should be addressed, along with a follow-up process, helps create accountability. I also offer pair programming to support them in applying the feedback effectively.
-
To address this constructively, I start by emphasizing the importance of code reviews for quality and team growth, ensuring everyone sees the value. Setting clear expectations around acknowledging and implementing feedback is also key; I often ask team members to respond to each comment, whether by making changes or providing rationale if they disagree. For those struggling, I offer one-on-one mentorship or pair programming sessions, which help them grasp the feedback's intent and build skills collaboratively. This approach has made feedback more actionable and fostered a culture of continuous improvement in the team.
-
In my team, I addressed this issue by first highlighting the importance of code reviews in maintaining quality and promoting collective growth. I then had an open conversation with the team member, explaining how their response to feedback affects both the project and the team dynamic. To ensure every PR/MR comment was addressed, I introduced a structured process, which improved understanding and fostered a more collaborative environment. As a result, we saw enhanced code quality and smoother integration of feedback.
-
First of all, it is important to understand why some members are avoiding code review sessions. And to do that, conduct an open one-to-one talk with the developer. After understanding the root cause, implement the necessary steps needed to deliver the project on time.
-
Set a One-on-One Meeting: Create a safe space for open dialogue about feedback. Focus on Impact: Explain how the feedback improves code quality and team productivity. Seek Their Perspective: Ask for their thoughts on the feedback to understand their viewpoint. Highlight Collaboration: Emphasize the importance of teamwork and learning from each other. Follow Up: Regularly check in on progress to reinforce the importance of code reviews. Provide Resources: Share articles or best practices that can help them improve.
Rate this article
More relevant reading
-
ProgrammingHow can you pair program with someone who has a different skill level?
-
ProgrammingYou’ve received feedback from your peers. What’s the best way to respond?
-
Agile MethodologiesHow do you pair program with different skill levels and backgrounds?
-
Extreme ProgrammingHow do you adapt and learn from failures and mistakes in extreme programming?