Create a Design Review

This guide explains how to create a repository-backed Design Review in AllSpice.

If you are setting this up for the first time, start with Quick Review. Quick Review is the safest way to establish the initial baseline correctly so later reviews show meaningful diffs.

Before you create the review

The first repository-backed Design Review depends on having a clean starting point.

The easiest way to get a clean, readable Design Review is to make sure the repository has:

a clear "before" state in the main branch
a clear "after" state in the develop branch
the correct Design Review direction from develop to main

If there is no baseline on main, AllSpice may interpret the next review as a brand-new design and mark everything as added.

First-time setup workflow

First-time setup is easiet with Quick Review.

Manual setup usually looks like this:

Commit or import your starting files as the baseline to the develop branch.
Create a Design Review from develop to main.
Merge that review so main now holds the approved baseline.
Add new changes to the develop branch.
Create the next Design Review from develop to main.

Once that baseline exists, later reviews are much easier to read.

How to create the next Design Review

After the baseline is established, the repeatable workflow is straightforward:

Add a new design revision on develop.
Open a Design Review from develop to main.
Confirm that the diff shows the intended changes.
Ask reviewers to inspect the schematic, PCB, and changed files.
Merge the review after approval.

Common first-review mistakes

The first manual Design Review can go sideways if the starting history is not clean. Common mistakes include:

making changes directly on main and then making different changes on develop
two people editing the same file on the same branch
creating multiple branches before the first baseline is settled
expecting a delta even though there is no earlier committed state merged to main to compare against
accidentally setting the Design Review direction backwards

If the setup is already tangled

If your first Design Review setup is already tangled, the fastest path is usually to stop, start over with a new repository, and use Quick Review to create a clean first review.

If you no longer need the original repository, follow Delete this repository.

What to check before sending reviewers in

Before sharing the Design Review, confirm:

main contains the approved baseline
develop contains the new work to review
the Design Review direction is from develop to main
the diff shows a focused set of intended changes rather than the whole design as new

Step-by-step guide to create a new Design Review

Step-by-step guide to create a new Design Review PDF

Open the Design Reviews tab to manage or start design review activities for your project.
Click New Design Review to begin a fresh review process.
Use the branch selector to choose the source branch you want to review or compare.
Switch to the develop branch to compare changes for your design review.
(optional) Select a schematic, PCB, or other design file to preview changes.
Click New Design Review again if you wish to create a review from this preview.
Edit the title field to clearly name your design review for easy identification.
Summarize the main changes and provide helpful notes for reviewers in the description area.
Open the Reviewers section to select team members who should provide feedback.
Select individuals or entire teams to review the design.
Select DRCY AI to incorporate automated review insights.
- DRCY is not available for Starter plans. Contact support@allspice.io if you'd like to learn more.
Click Create Design Review to submit your new review and notify the assigned reviewers.
Congratulations, you've created a Design Review. Now you can view the Conversation, Commits, or Changes tabs.

Recommended next steps

If the review is open and you want to understand the change set, continue with How to Diff Commits and Files.