One way of increasing the reliability of software is to inspect it. The effectiveness of inspection is difficult to evaluate given the range of conceptual tasks, the range of conceptual abilities of the inspectors, and the inability to detect when an inspection fails to produce a reasonable output. This paper introduces a method of software inspections called phased inspections . Each inspection consists of a number of separate steps, or phases. Each phase is designed to ensure that the software being inspected has a particular property.
Computer support is provided in the form of checklists for each phase.
These are particularized to the program being inspected. Testing regimes that use either single or multiple inspectors are supported. The authors quote some supportive evidence. By requiring the inspectors to interact with the checklist, the system ensures that testing activities are not accidentally overlooked. Clearly, successful use of this technique requires management involvement.