How to log a defect/bug with a detailed description?

 

What is Defect/Bug in software and why it is important

Defects in software, commonly known as bugs, are deviations between the expected behavior of a software application and its actual behavior. These deviations can arise during various stages of the software development life cycle, from design and coding to testing and deployment. Defects can manifest as functional errors, performance issues, security vulnerabilities, or other forms of unintended behavior that negatively impact the software’s reliability and functionality.

Identifying and addressing defects is a fundamental aspect of quality assurance in software development. Effective defect management ensures that software meets the specified requirements and functions reliably. Defect-free software is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction. Users expect applications to work seamlessly without unexpected errors, and managing defects helps deliver a positive user experience. Early detection and resolution of defects are more cost-effective than addressing issues later in the development life cycle or, worse after the software has been deployed. The cost of fixing a defect tends to increase as the project progresses. 

Bug Report

A bug report is a document used to communicate information about software defect, hardware fault or malfunction to the development team. That means it is a report to provide an accurate description of the problem to the development team to facilitate its resolution. All bugs must be documented in a bug-reporting system to identify, prioritize, and fix them promptly. Failure to do so may lead to the developer not understanding or disregarding the issue, as well as management not recognizing the severity of it and leaving it in production until customers make them aware.

How to Report a Bug?

·       Identify the Defect - First, identify the defect or bug by reproducing the issue in the software application. Ensure that the defect is reproducible and can be consistently observed under specific conditions.

·       Access the Defect Tracking System - Log in to the defect tracking system or bug tracking tool used by your team or organization such as JIRA, Bugzilla, TFS, and Asana. If you don't have access to a specific tool, use a shared document or email to report the defect temporarily.

·       Provide General Information and Describe the Defect in Detail – Provide the general information about the defect such as Title, Summery, Priority and Severity etc. and then provide detailed description of the defect including steps to reproduce, expected behavior, actual behavior, environment, Screen shots or videos etc.

·       Track and Follow Up – After sending the bug report to the developer, Track the status of the defect in the defect tracking system and follow up regularly to ensure timely resolution. Provide updates and additional information as needed to facilitate the resolution process.

·       Verify and Close - Once the defect has been fixed, verify the resolution by retesting the software to ensure that the issue has been addressed satisfactorily. Close the defect in the defect tracking system once it has been verified as fixed.

Essential Features in Bug Report

1.     Bug ID - Each bug should be given a unique identification number. Bug reporting tools automatically provide a unique number to the newly raised bugs. This field helps to identify the bug easily.

2.     Title/Summary - A concise and descriptive title that summarizes the nature of the bug or issue. Title should be easy to understand and help to identify the issue quickly. A good bug summary helps managers review the bugs quickly during the bug review meetings.

3.     Description - The description should be provided in the bug to help the developer in understanding the bug. It should be in simple language that a developer can understand easily. All the details about the environment and the type of user privileges must be mentioned. Environment Details means

4.     Information about the environment in which the bug was encountered, such as operating system, browser version, device type, screen resolution, and network conditions.

5.     Test Steps – that means steps to Reproduce. It should include, clear, step-by-step instructions on how to reproduce the bug. This helps developers understand the exact sequence of actions that trigger the issue.

6.     Expected Results - Description of what the software should do under normal circumstances.

7.     Actual Results - Description of what the software is actually doing, including any error messages or unexpected behavior observed.

8.     Reporter - The name and email of the reporter of the bug should be mentioned. In bug reporting tools, these are automatically fetched from the user profile. It would help the developer or reviewer to quickly identify who reported the bug. Developers can reach out to the reporter if any discussion is required around the bug.

9.     Reported date - The date when the bug is raised should be mentioned. This will help in identifying the release in which the bug occurred.

10.  Assignee - The bug should be assigned to the product owner or development manager. They can review the bug and plan the fix as per the team member’s bandwidth and module expertise.

11.  Severity - Indicates the impact of the bug on the software's functionality, performance, or security. For example, critical, major, minor.

12.  Priority -  Indicates the importance of fixing the bug relative to other issues. For example, high, medium, low.

13.  Attachments - Any relevant files, screenshots, or videos that illustrate the bug and help developers understand the issue more clearly.

14.  Date Closed - It is the date the bug is closed by the testing team. Closing a bug is an integral part of the software testing process.

15.  Status - A software bug follows a cycle. According to where it is in the cycle, a status is assigned. For eg. When a new bug is created, its status is assigned as open. Later, it goes through various stages like In Progress, Fixed, Won’t Fix, Accepted, Reopen, Verified, etc. These stages vary following different bug reporting tools.

Defect Life Cycle