The impact of training-by-examples on inspection performance using two laboratory experiments

Software inspection is often seen as a technique to produce quality software. It has been claimed that expertise is a key determinant in inspection performance particularly in individual detection and group meetings [Sauer, C., et al.,(2000)]. Uncertainty among reviewers during group meetings due to lack of expertise is seen as a weakness in inspection performance. One aspect of achieving expertise is through education or formal training. Recent theoretical frameworks in software inspection also support the idea of possible effects of training on inspection performance [Sauer, C., et al.,(2000)]. To investigate this further, two laboratory experiments were conducted to test the effects of training using defect examples. Our findings show conflicting results between the two experiments, indirectly highlighting the importance of an effective inspection process. The results have implications for the use of a repository of defect examples for training reviewers.