Two-Stage Code Review

To separate spec compliance from code quality in a code review workflow, use a two-stage review process with explicit stage handoffs and stage-specific checklists. Stage 1 verifies requirements, edge cases, and API contracts, while Stage 2 checks readability, maintainability, and security.

Mixing spec compliance and code quality checks leads to missed edge cases because reviewers face cognitive overload from simultaneously verifying API contracts and evaluating maintainability. Splitting these checks into dedicated stages with explicit handoffs improves review accuracy and ensures both spec conformance and code quality are thoroughly evaluated.

The best way to automate spec compliance reviews for security-critical projects is to implement a two-stage workflow with stage-specific checklists. This approach explicitly isolates spec verification, including edge cases and API contracts, before passing the code to the quality review stage.

Yes, you can use a two-stage code review for core library development. This approach is specifically useful for critical engines and libraries where both strict spec adherence and high-quality implementation are required, ensuring thorough evaluation through explicit stage handoffs.

Yes, you need explicit acceptance criteria to run a two-stage code review. The workflow requires a clear definition of acceptance criteria alongside stage-specific checklists and explicit stage handoffs to accurately automate the separation of spec compliance and code quality evaluations.