When we discuss the quality assurance of the system, identifying bugs is the most integral part. Bug reporting is part of the testing in which all bugs are listed and communicated with the development team. All the projects need to go through this process to ensure premium quality and to verify that functionalities perform as per requirement. There were times when testers used to track bugs and report them through spreadsheets. The manual practice has been followed for years and is still implemented at some of the places but it has its limitations. Manually managing data is not recommended because as soon as you go through the development process and the program becomes complex then the number of errors increases too. At that point, it becomes difficult to manage the status of all bugs and it also becomes challenging to track bugs in the later phase.
Why manage a bug report?
It is really important to document the bug report effectively, it will help to track all bugs and ensure that issues are being fixed. So to get through defect management timely it is well connected to know how well they are reported in the first place.
Quality of report
Below mentioned are few factors which ensure that the bug report will do the needful and is of good quality.
- Reproducible
- Specific
- Self Explanatory
While working on the bug report it is mandatory to ensure that it incorporates reproducible steps. Also, make sure that the description you share is clear to understand and there are no ambiguities in it. Also add screenshots, wherever they are needed to make the error and scope more clear.
Why an automated bug tracking tool is more helpful?
Defect tracking is considered the most critical stage in the software development lifecycle. Look out for the best defect tracking tools which can help you with the required task. Such tools allow you to capture, track, and resolve bugs and maintain their reports too. It is the responsibility of the team lead that all members are capable enough to find bugs and report them in an appropriate manner.
The main advantage of this tool is that it provides one view to the entire team and team members can easily track the backlog of the project. Defect management tool act as a single platform for all sort of bugs related activities.
Automated tool features which help to track bugs
There are defect tracking tools that detect bugs throughout the software development lifecycle. These tools have been expanding over the period and gradually there detailed features became strong enough to facilitate testers in every possible way. All the critical bugs are tracked and monitored through this tool and reports are maintained in the most organized way. The biggest edge of such software is that it provides planning features, optimized functions, and a workflow engine which monitors complete development.
Advanced features and ease of bug tracking is just the one side of the coin, defect tracking tools are a lot more important then people realize. They not only assist in tracking bugs but also empower the team with important information which helps them to prioritize tasks based on requirements.
Here are a few ways which can help with the automation of the process
Setting up Notifications
Checking for bugs and their progress, again and again, might become overwhelming and time-consuming at some point. The notification system improves collaboration among the team and if customized properly then only relevant people will be notified regarding the bugs update coming from time to time. Even change in the status of the bug is also notified automatically to make things less human dependant.
Bugs Update
The team can view bugs and track them until it reaches the status of the being completed. The team also stay updated with the transitions taking place throughout the bug cycle and make calculated decisions to ensure a smoothly run system. Bugs can be configured in an organized way and other issues can be dealt with separately so that the QA team knows their targeted area and the development team concentrates on the requirements at their disposal.
Capturing and Prioritizing Bugs
A bug can be captured at any point and at any time while testing the system. Once an issue is identified, it needs to be reported with the required details along with needful images to proceed. Each identified issue will have its custom flow to ensure that when it will be completed and by whom. Once these issues are identified, they are prioritized based on importance and urgency.
Defect tracking tools not only help to automate the testing and quality process but also add quality to the work. Companies that are not using such tools deal with numerous issues daily which eventually affects the performance of the entire team.
