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"path": "/projekta2/the-pr-review-canvas-a-free-interactive-checklist-for-better-code-reviews-5dgi",
"publishedAt": "2026-06-23T13:24:09.000Z",
"site": "https://dev.to",
"tags": [
"codereview",
"github",
"opensource",
"productivity",
"Try it live",
"projekta2.github.io/pr-review-canvas",
"github.com/projekta2/pr-review-canvas",
"Alexandre Iglesias"
],
"textContent": "Code review is one of the most valuable activities in software development — but also one of the most inconsistent.\n\nI've seen teams where every review is a tense negotiation, and others where \"LGTM\" is the default response to every PR. Both extremes are problematic.\n\nAfter years of reviewing PRs and building tools to automate parts of the process, I realised that what most teams lack is a **shared, structured mental model** of what a good review actually covers.\n\nSo I built the **PR Review Canvas** — a free, open‑source kit that makes the reviewer's mental model explicit.\n\n## 🎯 What's inside\n\n### 📋 51‑item interactive checklist\n\nA live web tool with a \"Review Readiness\" gauge, collapsible categories, dark/light mode, and progress saved in your browser. No install, no account, no tracking.\n\n👉 Try it live\n\n### 📝 PR description templates\n\n * **Basic template** for everyday changes.\n * **Advanced template** for complex, high‑risk PRs (with risk/rollback tables).\n\n\n\n### 📖 Step‑by‑step guides\n\n * For first‑time reviewers — how to not feel overwhelmed.\n * For experienced reviewers — techniques for reviewing fast at scale.\n * How to give constructive feedback (with actual phrases to use and retire).\n * How to receive feedback without taking it personally.\n\n\n\n### 📚 Annotated examples\n\n * A well‑written PR — annotated to show _why_ it works.\n * A poorly‑written PR — annotated to show _how to fix it_.\n * A full review transcript — comment by comment, with reasoning.\n\n\n\n### 🧠 Code review anti‑patterns\n\nA reference list of the recurring ways review goes wrong — on both sides of the diff.\n\n### 🔗 Ready‑to‑paste templates\n\nImport the checklist into Notion or Obsidian in one click.\n\n## 🚀 Why a checklist?\n\nA checklist isn't bureaucracy — it's a substitute for the senior engineer who isn't always available to stand over your shoulder.\n\nThe categories in this kit map to the actual sequence an experienced reviewer's brain runs through:\n\n 1. Context & Purpose\n 2. Architecture & Design\n 3. Code Quality\n 4. Testing\n 5. Performance & Security\n 6. Documentation\n 7. Standards Compliance\n 8. Final Considerations\n\n\n\nEach item includes a **\"why\"** — so you're not just ticking boxes, you're understanding the reasoning behind each check.\n\n## 🎨 Try it live — right now\n\nYou don't need to install anything. The interactive checklist is hosted on GitHub Pages:\n\n👉 projekta2.github.io/pr-review-canvas\n\nOpen it, check items off as you review, and export your notes when you're done. Your progress is saved locally in your browser.\n\n## 📦 The repo\n\nEverything is **MIT licensed** , so you can fork it, adapt it, and use it with your team:\n\n👉 github.com/projekta2/pr-review-canvas\n\nContributions are welcome — new checklist items, sharper feedback phrasing, translated versions, or a template for a workflow this doesn't cover yet.\n\n## 💡 From the same workshop\n\nThis kit grew out of the same review fatigue that led to building other developer tools. But this one is **free, open, and standalone** — you don't need anything else to use it.\n\nIf you review code regularly, I'd love to hear what's missing or what could be sharper. Drop a comment below, open an issue on GitHub, or send me a message.\n\n_Built with care by Alexandre Iglesias – Girona, Spain._",
"title": "The PR Review Canvas – a free interactive checklist for better code reviews"
}