Review queue
Also known as Code review queue, Pull request queue
Definition
A review queue is unfinished change work awaiting review activity or a review decision. Its depth and age reveal demand on reviewers and the delay between implementation and the next delivery step.
Review demand waiting for attention
Review queues form when changes are ready for feedback but reviewer capacity is not immediately available. A queue can grow because of large changes, specialist approvals, time zones, unclear ownership, or simply too many concurrent changes entering review.
A concrete example
An illustrative team has six review-ready changes and two reviewers. The oldest change is four days old and touches a shared interface. Rather than opening more implementation work, the team inspects the queue, pulls the oldest eligible item, and makes specialist ownership explicit.
Improve review flow
Measure queue age, review time, change size, rounds, and rework together. Smaller coherent changes can reduce review effort, but a smaller change does not remove a missing owner. Set policies that protect quality and make waiting visible.
Limitations
Not all review waits are harmful. Some changes need deliberate security or architecture attention. A queue count also says nothing about review quality, so pair it with defect and rework outcomes.
How this relates to Weave
Weave can help teams inspect pull request review timing, queue age, and change context. It does not decide approval policy or replace reviewer judgment, so use queue evidence to improve the system rather than to rush individual approvals.
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