Gotta Go Fast

In this final segment of the video, the speakers reflect on the crucial role that code review turnaround time plays in engineering culture, team productivity, and developer happiness. Timely reviews are not just a technical necessity—they reflect the team’s values and operational discipline.

• We treat code review turnaround time seriously. Our standard should be to review diffs within one day, two at most. Slow feedback cycles—especially taking 4–5 days—compound and slow down overall delivery velocity.
• We recognize code review as a gatekeeper with real power. Since all production code must pass through this step, bottlenecks here can deeply affect morale, productivity, and team trust.
• We advocate for clear team expectations. When reviews consistently lag, we push for a shared SLA (Service Level Agreement) around review times, ensuring accountability and smoother planning.
• We balance urgency with respect. While prompt reviews are key, we also avoid pestering reviewers within minutes of submitting. Giving at least 6 hours (unless it’s urgent) is a sign of maturity and respect.
• We proactively build good habits. Many of us block time at the end of our day to batch and respond to review requests, which helps us maintain velocity without excessive context-switching.