Software-Reviews
Make IT decisions based on an analysis of your software system, not on intuition.
What is a software review and when does it make sense?
Even in successful software systems, problems can arise. Systematic reviews help identify these issues precisely, creating a solid foundation for future improvements. In this regard, we can learn from the medical field. Before any treatment, a thorough diagnosis is required. In IT, we refer to this as reviews. Reviews not only provide clarity about the current situation but also ensure decision-making confidence regarding the next steps.
There is no single best time or use case for a review. Reviews can add value at different phases of an IT project. Before the project begins, it is worthwhile to review the project plan. Additionally, as the project progresses, an assessment of the current systems can be beneficial. Are you passing the health check? Is there potential for optimization? On top, reviews also provide the necessary facts and information when teams face fundamental decision making regarding the further development or replacement of a software system.
The results of our software reviews
Our consultants provide extensive practical experience for the analysis of your system. Here is what you can expect from our software review:
- Description of the current state
- Identification of vulnerabilities and issues
- Prioritized list of identified risks
- Comparison of multiple actions and solutions
- Experience-based recommendations
- Use of specific technologies, replacing existing solutions if necessary
- Roadmap/milestones
- Organizational actions
Review process
Review work is team work. We always conduct our reviews in collaboration with relevant stakeholders (e.g., architects and developers, POs, or staff from the business domain). Through interviews, we first get an overview. As a team, we proceed to analyze and evaluate the results and identify potential pain points. We develop ideas to address them. Finally, we present you with a clear, unbiased view of the system, highlighting connections and outlining possible future options.
Assessment and Analysis
- Code
- Documentation
- Requirements and goals
- History
- Organization
Summary and Concept
- Pain points
- Perspectives on the architecture
- Experiences
- Ideas
Presentation und results
- Clear view of the system
- Interrelationships obvious
- Options for the future highlighted
- Next steps
What our review does for you
There are many reasons to conduct a software review. INNOQ is your partner - whether you're looking to gain confidence in decision-making before major IT investments or analyzing persistent issues in smaller systems.
Team work
Each review is unique and depends on the specific requirements. Before we begin, we establish a shared understanding of the goal, scope, and extent of your review.
The review conducted by INNOQ provided us with a structured overview of improvement opportunities for our ticket shop. The analysis looked at every aspect of the project, from development and operational processes to architecture, technology and source code.
Reinhold Heider Senior IT Architect, ÖBB
Addressing the right levels
Depending on the requirements and issues, we address different levels in our review.
Organization
Understand business goals and models, value streams, and organizational components to derive context boundaries and architectural goals.
Domain architecture
The functional structuring of the system landscape and the information flow between systems: business and operational processes.
Macro architecture
Overarching rules, independent from the internal structure of individual systems for quality and maintenance: communication protocols, data replication, UI integration, monitoring, logging, etc.
Micro architecture
Local rules for a system: programming language, frameworks, libraries, architectural patterns, etc.
Code
Structure and conventions for a system's source code.
Keeping an eye on areas of tension
A common tension in our reviews is the differing objectives of operational infrastructure, associated processes, and security aspects. Our consultants help you to balance these goals and to establish a shared understanding.
Processes
Requirements management, development processes, operational procedures
Infrastructure
Does the infrastructure setup align with the system's quality goals?
Security & Data protection
Are security or data protection requirements being overlooked due to functional demands or delivery pressure?
Review process
Our reviews follow a standardized process and are conducted within a defined timeframe.
Kickoff with stakeholders
- Establish and align goals
- Approach based on ATAM
Interviews & Analyses
- In-depth interviews with stakeholders and subject-matter experts
- Analysis of the artifacts
Final report, presentation
- Presentation of initial findings
- Evaluation of strengths, weaknesses, and risks
- Recommendations for actions
The process is basically the same for longer reviews. However, interviews and analyses take considerably longer for larger reviews, whereas the coordination phase and the preparation of the results report only take slightly longer.
Why INNOQ?
For more than 20 years, our employees have been consulting SMEs and corporations and successfully realizing all kinds of IT systems.
Our expertise is backed by many years of practical experience – in software architecture and development, digital platforms and infrastructures, and digital product development.
For us, technology has no self-purpose, but is the basis of solving real problems.
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