Code Review & Testing Checklist for Agency & Consulting

Use GitHub or GitLab PR templates that require links to Jira or Linear tickets and the client SOW section. This builds traceability and prevents scope creep when multiple stakeholders weigh in.

Configure bots to flag PRs that exceed 800 lines or touch more than a set number of files, and require authors to split by feature. Smaller diffs shorten review time and reduce context switching across accounts.

The PR description must state target environment, release window, and any flags to be toggled for the client. This avoids production surprises in multi-tenant or shared staging setups.

Use labels for risk level and client release cadences so PMs can batch merges during approved windows. This supports predictable deployments when multiple clients share resources.

Include a checklist mapping code changes to client acceptance criteria, with screenshots or logs when relevant. This avoids rework during UAT and keeps changes aligned with the SOW.

Use CODEOWNERS or GitLab approval rules to auto-assign reviewers for areas like payments, auth, or UI. Domain-based routing cuts back-and-forth and helps you meet client SLAs.

Create reusable GitHub Actions or GitLab CI templates that define bronze, silver, and gold gates from linting to security scanning. Consistent gates make outcomes predictable across projects.

Run ESLint, Prettier, Stylelint, Black, Ruff, or gofmt and block on formatting drift. Consistent diffs shorten review cycles and prevent nitpicks across distributed teams.

Enforce TypeScript tsc noEmit, mypy strict, or pyright in CI for typed codebases. This catches interface drift and broken contracts before they reach QA or client staging.

Fail PRs if unit or integration coverage drops below client-agreed levels, for example 80 percent global or 100 percent on critical paths. Use Jest, Pytest, or PHPUnit with CI reports.

Run Snyk, Dependabot, or Renovate to patch CVEs and enforce license policies at merge time. This protects clients from high-risk packages and legal conflicts.

Add Gitleaks or TruffleHog to PR checks and block when potential secrets are found. Multi-client repos are high risk without automated detection.

Enforce domain boundaries and promote shared libraries via private npm or PyPI feeds for reusable code. This reduces duplication across client projects and eases maintenance.

Review OpenAPI or GraphQL schemas, run spectral lint, and require versioning for breaking changes. Agencies cannot afford downstream breakage in client integrations.

Verify no hardcoded client settings and ensure environment variables and per-tenant config files are used. This prevents cross-client data leakage and misroutes.

Require structured logs, metrics, and tracing using OpenTelemetry, Sentry, or Datadog for new or changed endpoints. Faster observability speeds incident response and client reporting.

Check idempotency, backoff, and circuit breaker patterns for external APIs such as Stripe, Salesforce, or HubSpot. This reduces flakiness and support tickets across client instances.

Auto-generate test files with Jest, Vitest, Pytest, or PHPUnit and require at least one meaningful assertion per function. This keeps coverage healthy without slowing delivery.

Use Pact or Schemathesis to validate consumer and provider contracts against client APIs. Contract tests catch breaking changes before staging and UAT.

Automate the top three client journeys with Playwright or Cypress and run them on each PR. This flags regressions in checkout, signup, or lead capture early.

Use Percy, Chromatic, or BackstopJS with per-client baselines tied to brand guidelines. This prevents unwanted UI drift that leads to costly rework.

Run axe, pa11y, and Lighthouse accessibility audits for new UI changes. Many agency clients have WCAG or public sector requirements that must be met.

Use factories or fixtures with anonymized datasets and tenant-specific seeds. This keeps tests deterministic and prevents PII exposure during reviews.

Apply Semgrep or CodeQL rules for SQL injection, XSS, and SSRF patterns and require fixes before merge. Agencies reduce post-release remediation and audit pain.

Include tests for login, token refresh, session expiry, and role boundaries, with explicit multi-tenant checks. This prevents cross-account data exposure.

Run tfsec, Checkov, or kube-score on Terraform, Helm, and Kubernetes manifests. Catch misconfigurations like public S3 buckets and open security groups before merge.

Use Snyk license policies or Open Source Review Toolkit to block incompatible licenses if contracts restrict copyleft. This avoids legal escalations with procurement.

Add pre-commit hooks or CI checks that flag PII patterns and enforce encryption or hashing utilities. This supports GDPR commitments and enterprise security reviews.

Set SLA timers for reviews, for example 4 hours for gold, 1 day for silver, and 2 days for bronze, and track with GitHub or GitLab insights. Clear expectations prevent client escalations.

Use saved replies that cover security, tests, performance, and documentation for every PR. Standardized comments keep quality consistent across rotating teams.

Require updates to CHANGELOG.md and client-facing release notes before approval. This accelerates deployment prep and client communication.

Link the PR to Datadog, New Relic, or Sentry dashboards and alert policies for touched services. Someone should be on point to watch the first hours after deploy.

Provide staging URL, test accounts, feature flags to enable, and rollback steps in the PR. Clear handoff reduces back-and-forth during UAT windows.