Philosophy
The team's approach to code review and its purpose.
4.8
on G2
Free Engineering Template
Download a free code review guidelines template in Word, PDF, or Markdown. Or turn any video into code review guidelines template with Docsie AI — auto-fills every required field.
Use this template to standards for code reviews and quality.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Category | Engineering |
| Owner | [Team or owner] |
| Version | [Version number] |
| Effective Date | [Date] |
| Review Cycle | [Monthly / Quarterly / Annual / Event-based] |
| Status | [Draft / In Review / Approved] |
The team's approach to code review and its purpose.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Areas to focus on during review.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Guidelines for constructive, actionable feedback.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Checklist of items to verify.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
When to approve, request changes, or block.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Expected review response times. Be specific and actionable. Include examples of good feedback.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Deploy this template when establishing consistent code quality standards across your engineering team or onboarding new developers.
This template produces a complete code review framework covering philosophy, mechanics, and measurable quality criteria for your team.
Teams fail when guidelines become vague wishlists rather than actionable checklists with clear approval gates and examples.
Template Structure
Use this engineering template as a starting point, then customize each section to match your internal workflow, evidence, and signoff needs.
The team's approach to code review and its purpose.
Areas to focus on during review.
Guidelines for constructive, actionable feedback.
Checklist of items to verify.
When to approve, request changes, or block.
Expected review response times. Be specific and actionable. Include examples of good feedback.
Write Code Review Guidelines. Structure with:
The team's approach to code review and its purpose.
Areas to focus on during review.
Guidelines for constructive, actionable feedback.
Checklist of items to verify.
When to approve, request changes, or block.
Expected review response times.
Be specific and actionable. Include examples of good feedback.
Code review is a collaborative process to improve code quality and share knowledge. Reviews are about the code, not the author. Every review is an opportunity to learn — for both the reviewer and the author.
| Priority | Area | Questions to Ask |
|---|---|---|
| High | Correctness | Does the code do what the PR description says? Are edge cases handled? |
| High | Security | Any injection risks, exposed secrets, or missing auth checks? |
| Medium | Design | Is this the right abstraction? Will it be easy to modify later? |
| Medium | Testing | Are the tests meaningful? Do they cover failure cases? |
| Low | Style | Does it follow our conventions? (Prefer linter enforcement over manual review) |
Do:
- Explain why, not just what: "This could cause N+1 queries because each iteration hits the DB"
- Suggest alternatives: "Consider using prefetch_related() here to batch the queries"
- Distinguish must-fix from nice-to-have: prefix optional suggestions with "nit:" or "optional:"
Don't:
- Use "you" language that sounds personal: ~~"You forgot to handle errors"~~ → "Error handling is missing for the API call on line 42"
- Leave vague comments: ~~"This is confusing"~~ → "The variable name data is ambiguous — could this be user_preferences instead?"
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Template FAQ
Common questions about downloading and generating a code review guidelines template.
Q: What is a code review guidelines template?
A: A code review guidelines template is a structured document for standards for code reviews and quality.
Q: Is the code review guidelines template really free?
A: Yes. The code review guidelines template is completely free to download in Word (DOCX), PDF, and Markdown formats. No signup or credit card required to download.
Q: How do I turn a video into a code Review Guidelines?
A: Upload a process walkthrough, training recording, or screen capture to Docsie. The AI analyzes the video and generates a complete code Review Guidelines using this template's structure — every required field auto-filled from the footage.
Q: Can I edit the code review guidelines template after downloading?
A: Yes. The DOCX format opens in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. The Markdown format imports into Notion, Confluence, Docsie, or any markdown editor. Customize fields, add your branding, and adapt to your internal workflow.