Which practice area is closely related to the identification of defects in peer review?

The practice area closely related to the identification of defects in peer review is verification and validation. This area encompasses processes that ensure a product, service, or system meets the requirements and fulfills its intended purpose.

Verification refers to the process of examining work products to determine if they fulfill the requirements imposed on them during development. Peer reviews serve as an effective verification technique, allowing team members to examine each other's work and identify defects or discrepancies early in the process.

Validation, on the other hand, emphasizes whether the products meet the needs of stakeholders and confirm that the right product has been built. While both verification and validation serve critical roles in quality assurance and ultimately lead to effective outcomes, the act of peer reviewing specifically aligns with the practice of verification because it focuses on the accuracy and completeness of the work being reviewed, highlighting defects and areas for improvement.

In contrast, the other practice areas, while related to the overall quality and performance of projects, do not specifically focus on the identification of defects as part of peer review processes. For instance, estimation and planning focus on project scope and resource allocation, quality assurance deals with overall processes and standards to ensure quality, and performance management targets the evaluation and optimization of project performance rather than the specific detection of defects during peer reviews