Manual inspection of a code change is often known as a code review. The aim of the code review is to identify problems, both with the implementation of specific subsystems and adherence to the overall architecture of the application. Automated performance tests may or may not discover potential problems with a given function. Human eyes, on the other hand, can usually spot a sub-optimal solution to the problem. Whether it is the wrong data structure or an algorithm with unnecessarily high computational complexity, a good architect should be able to pinpoint the problem.
But it isn't just the architect's role to perform code reviews. Peer reviews, that is, code reviews performed by peers of the author, also have their place in the development process. Such reviews are valuable not just because they allow colleagues to find bugs in each other's code. The more important aspect is the fact that many teammates are suddenly aware...