Code reviews are vital for ensuring good code quality and fostering teamwork. They serve as one of our last lines of defense against bugs and subpar code reaching production. Yet, they often turn into annoying tasks riddled with frustration, hostility, unclear feedback and lack of standard practices. How can we improve this crucial process?

From a decade's worth of experience and consulting across varied companies, I've extracted essential lessons about code reviews. In this session we will cover:

• The Art of Effective Code Reviews: Learn ``how not to come across as a passive-aggressive jerk``, the value of self-reviews, and effective communication strategies.
• Streamlining the Review Process: Embrace clear repository ownership and refined review guidelines for more efficient and constructive reviews.
• Elevating Reviews with Automated Tools: The most fun part! Explore tools that reinforce code consistency and quality, from automated style fixes to architecture checks. Let's cut through the noise of bikeshedding and focus on the essence of the changes.

This session will leave you with practical tactics for improving pull requests, performing better code reviews, and a suite of tools to simplify the review process and boost code quality.