What is the Fagan Inspection Method? Can this old method still save your project?”

Published on: September 04, 2024
Last updated: September 29, 2025 Read in fullscreen view

Recommended for you

14 Aug 2024 From Steel to Software: The Reluctant Evolution of Japan's Tech Corporates 139/681
18 Oct 2020 How to use the "Knowns" and "Unknowns" technique to manage assumptions 132/1224
01 Dec 2022 Difference between Set-based development and Point-based development 127/486
21 May 2022 "Fail Fast, Fail Often, Fail Forward" is the answer to Agile practices of software success 120/1169
19 Oct 2021 Software development life cycles 119/797
13 Oct 2021 Outsourcing Software Development: MVP, Proof of Concept (POC) and Prototyping. Which is better? 115/591
06 Nov 2023 How do you streamline requirement analysis and modeling? 114/351
10 Apr 2022 Agile self-organizing teams: What are they? How do they work? 114/660
04 Oct 2021 Product Validation: The Key to Developing the Best Product Possible 112/420
27 Oct 2020 8 principles of Agile Testing 111/1423
03 Jul 2022 Manifesto for Agile Software Development 109/376
13 Dec 2020 Move fast, fail fast, fail-safe 108/440
11 Jan 2024 What are the Benefits and Limitations of Augmented Intelligence? 108/591
13 Oct 2021 What is Bug Convergence? Why is it important for User Acceptance Testing (UAT)? 104/867
06 Feb 2021 Why fail fast and learn fast? 103/571
08 Dec 2021 What Are The 4 Types of Maintenance Strategies? 102/1281
28 Oct 2023 The GOLDEN Rules of Software Engineering 102/674
18 Aug 2022 What are the consequences of poor requirements with software development projects? 101/364
01 Oct 2020 Fail fast, learn faster with Agile methodology 101/1174
21 Apr 2026 Vibe Coding vs. Expert Shopify Development: What AI Tools Can (and Can't) Do? 99/119
12 Aug 2024 Understanding Google Analytics in Mumbai: A Beginner's Guide 98/198
12 Oct 2022 14 Common Reasons Software Projects Fail (And How To Avoid Them) 98/661
16 Jul 2022 What are disadvantages of Agile Methodology? How to mitigate the disadvantages ? 98/492
10 Dec 2021 What is a Kano Analysis? 97/1009
20 Jan 2021 Fail early, fail often, fail cheap, fail safe but always fail forward 96/897
13 May 2022 IT Training and Development: The most effective options for upskilling IT staff 96/1329
28 Nov 2023 Scrum Team Failure — Scrum Anti-Patterns Taxonomy 95/346
14 Mar 2024 Why should you opt for software localization from a professional agency? 93/232
11 Nov 2021 What is an IT Self-service Portal? Why is it Important to Your Business? 93/539
02 Nov 2021 [Case Study] Streamlined Data Reporting using Tableau 93/395
07 Oct 2025 Case Study: Using the “Messaging House” Framework to Build a Digital Transformation Roadmap 92/171
31 Aug 2022 What are the best practices for software contract negotiations? 89/356
02 Jan 2024 What is User Provisioning & Deprovisioning? 89/672
23 Sep 2021 INFOGRAPHIC: Top 9 Software Outsourcing Mistakes 88/511
02 Dec 2022 3 Levels of Quality in KANO Analysis Model 87/1256
20 Nov 2022 Agile working method in software and football 85/425
05 Mar 2021 How do you minimize risks when you outsource software development? 83/416
11 Oct 2021 10 Myths About Low-End Project Management Software 83/417
05 May 2021 TIGO Magic Scale - PoC tool for you to apply dichotomous thinking before submitting RFP 81/410
07 Dec 2023 The Myths Of Requirements 80/336
08 Oct 2022 KPI - The New Leadership 79/686
05 Jun 2023 Bespoke Solution: Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) Software 79/268
28 Dec 2021 8 types of pricing models in software development outsourcing 77/511
28 Jul 2022 POC, Prototypes, Pilots and MVP: What Are the Differences? 76/809
14 Oct 2021 Advantages and Disadvantages of Time and Material Contract (T&M) 75/960
01 Jun 2022 How Your Agile Development Team is Just Like a Football Team? 74/292
06 Mar 2024 [SemRush] What Are LSI Keywords & Why They Don‘t Matter 74/271
05 Sep 2023 The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects 74/268
07 Oct 2020 How To Manage Expectations at Work (and Why It's Important) 71/403
14 Oct 2021 Stream Story - Low land stream or fast moving stream? 70/694
12 Dec 2021 Zero Sum Games Agile vs. Waterfall Project Management Methods 69/480
05 Aug 2024 Revisiting the Mistake That Halted Japan's Software Surge 69/415
10 Dec 2023 Pain points of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) 67/521
09 Oct 2022 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Agile Methodology 66/770
13 Feb 2021 Why is TIGOSOFT a software house for Enterprise Application Development? 66/446
10 Nov 2021 Automated QA Outsourcing – Hire a Professional Software Testing Team 66/651
02 Dec 2022 Success Story: Satsuki - Sales Management Software, back office app for School Subscription Management 65/304
01 Jan 2024 The pros and cons of the Centralized Enterprise Automation Operating model 65/285
03 Sep 2022 The secret of software success: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication 64/268
18 Jul 2021 How To Ramp Up An Offshore Software Development Team Quickly 64/654
20 Jan 2022 TIGO Self-Organization Practice: Change Management Workflow 64/534
12 Oct 2020 The Agile Manifesto - Principle #8 62/556
19 Apr 2021 7 Most Common Time-Wasters For Software Development 61/606
01 Dec 2023 Laws of Project Management 61/375
01 May 2024 Warren Buffett’s Golden Rule for Digital Transformation: Avoiding Tech Overload 60/267
04 Oct 2022 Which ERP implementation strategy is right for your business? 59/413
10 Nov 2022 Poor Code Indicators and How to Improve Your Code? 59/276
03 Apr 2021 How digital asset management streamlines your content workflow? 57/385
01 Mar 2023 Bug Prioritization - What are the 5 levels of priority? 57/283
19 Oct 2021 Is gold plating good or bad in project management? 57/888
31 Oct 2021 Tips to Fail Fast With Outsourcing 56/447
05 Jan 2024 Easy ASANA tips & tricks for you and your team 55/252
12 Mar 2024 How do you create FOMO in software prospects? 53/222
28 Oct 2022 Build Operate Transfer (B.O.T) Model in Software Outsourcing 53/456
01 Oct 2020 Handling tight project deadlines as a business analyst 53/380
17 Feb 2022 Prioritizing Software Requirements with Kano Analysis 52/356
21 Jun 2021 6 Useful Tips To Streamline Business Processes and Workflows 51/582
16 Jun 2022 Rapid Application Development (RAD): Pros and Cons 47/926
02 Apr 2022 Productivity vs. Efficiency – What Are the Differences? 46/255
01 Mar 2022 Why Does Scrum Fail in Large Companies? 44/308
03 Nov 2022 Questions and answers about Kano Model 43/934
26 Dec 2023 Improving Meeting Effectiveness Through the Six Thinking Hats 42/314
05 Feb 2024 Bespoke Solution: Visitor Management System for Corporate 42/301
10 Oct 2022 Should Your Business Go Agile? (Infographic) 41/165
21 Oct 2022 Virtual meeting - How does TIGO save cost, reduce complexity and improve quality by remote communication? 40/224
02 Nov 2022 Frequently Asked Questions about Agile and Scrum 35/432
06 Nov 2019 How to Access Software Project Size? 34/291

There are several methods to find errors during software development, such as reviews, walkthroughs, and inspections. Among them, Inspection, also known as the Fagan Inspection, is considered the most effective. It was developed by Michael Fagan at IBM in the 1970s.

What is the Fagan Inspection Method?

The Fagan Inspection method is a process designed to identify defects at any stage of a project—whether in documents, source code, or implementation processes.

In software projects, documents are just as important as code. Technical specifications (Functional Specifications), user requirements (User Requirement Specifications), and business requirements (Business Requirement Specifications) are all essential inputs for the software system. If the inputs are poor, the outputs cannot be perfect. This means the documents themselves may contain many errors.

Living documents, such as schedules, milestone-based WBS, or sprint plans, are continuously updated during the project lifecycle. Early inspection for these is less critical. But frozen documents, like BRS, URS, or Functional Specifications, cannot easily be changed because they are tied to contracts or formal agreements. For these, early inspection is highly recommended.

Stages of the Fagan Inspection Process

Planning: Managed by the project management team.
Overview Meeting: Introduce the work product and its context.
Preparation: Inspectors review the work product to identify potential defects.
Inspection Meeting: The author presents the work piece by piece, and inspectors point out defects in each section.
Rework: Make changes according to the actions identified in the inspection meeting.
Follow-up: Verify that all changes have been correctly applied.

The Preparation, Inspection Meeting, and Rework stages can be repeated multiple times if needed.

How to Conduct Fagan Inspections

Ensure results are balanced, considering both the effort of the creator and the benefits of inspection.
Inspectors should not only find defects but also remain impartial, recognizing good work and quantifying outstanding results.
Make the benefits of the inspection clear and tangible.
Use inspection results to inform future project planning as part of overall project management.

Why Are Inspections Rarely Used?

Fagan Inspection is highly useful for quality assurance, though not many people know its name. Different inspection approaches follow similar logic. When applied correctly and at the right time, it can be very effective. Overuse, however, can create unforeseen problems. Some reasons to consider before using this method include:

There is no absolute measure of success.
Benefits are not immediately obvious and require careful analysis to ensure time and cost savings.
Deep technical insights may be overlooked, limiting the opportunity to answer "Why".
It may create a divide between implementers and inspectors.
It can foster a critical work environment, which may conflict with a culture where staff feel comfortable admitting mistakes or sharing information.

Source: TIGO Solutions

A A A A

[{"displaySettingInfo":"[{\"isFullLayout\":false,\"layoutWidthRatio\":\"\",\"showBlogMetadata\":true,\"showAds\":true,\"showQuickNoticeBar\":true,\"includeSuggestedAndRelatedBlogs\":true,\"enableLazyLoad\":true,\"quoteStyle\":\"3\",\"bigHeadingFontStyle\":\"1\",\"postPictureFrameStyle\":\"1\",\"isFaqLayout\":false,\"isIncludedCaption\":false,\"faqLayoutTheme\":\"1\",\"isSliderLayout\":false}]"},{"articleSourceInfo":"[{\"sourceName\":\"\",\"sourceValue\":\"\"}]"},{"privacyInfo":"[{\"isOutsideVietnam\":false}]"},{"tocInfo":"[{\"isEnabledTOC\":true,\"isAutoNumbering\":false,\"isShowKeyHeadingWithIcon\":false}]"},{"termSettingInfo":"[{\"showTermsOnPage\":true,\"displaySequentialTermNumber\":true}]"}]

Via

{content}