Qualities of a Good Software Bug Report
A bug report can be written by anyone. However, not everyone is able to produce a bug report that works. You ought to be able to tell the difference between a good and an average bug repor
How to distinguish between a good and bad Bug report? It’s very simple, apply the following characteristics and techniques to report a bug.
Characteristics and Techniques
1) Having a clearly specified Bug Number: Every bug report should always have a unique number assigned. You can identify the bug record by doing this. This unique number will be produced automatically each time you report a bug if you are using an automated bug-reporting method.
Note the number and a brief description of each bug that you reported.
2) Reproducible: If your bug is not reproducible, then it will never get fixed.
You want to specify exactly how to replicate the issue. Don’t make any assumptions or omit any replication processes. The bug that is detailed step-by-step is simple to replicate and resolve.
3) Be Specific: Do not write an essay about the problem.
Be Specific and to the point. Try to summarize the problem in minimum words yet in an effective way. Do not combine multiple problems even if they seem to be similar. Write different reports for each problem.
Effective Bug Reporting
Bug reporting is an important aspect of Software Testing. Effective Bug reports communicate well with the development team to avoid any confusion or miscommunication.
A well-written bug report should be precise, succinct, and free of any important details. Any ambiguity slows down the development process and increases the likelihood of misunderstandings. One of the most crucial but often overlooked aspects of the testing life cycle is defect writing and reporting.
Writing well is crucial when reporting an issue. The most crucial thing for a tester to remember is that the report should not be written in an authoritative manner. This depresses employees and fosters a toxic work environment. Make your tone provocative.
Don’t presume you can use harsh language because the developer made a mistake. Verifying whether or not the identical defect has been reported before filing a report is equally crucial.
A duplicate bug is a burden in the testing cycle. Check out the whole list of known bugs. At times, the developers may be aware of the issue and ignore it for future releases.
Tools like Bugzilla, which automatically searches for duplicate bugs, can also be used. However, it is best to manually search for any duplicate bug.
The important information that a bug report must communicate is “How?” and “Where?” The report should clearly answer how the test was performed and where the defect occurred. The reader should easily reproduce the bug and find out where the bug is.
Recall that the purpose of submitting a bug report is to help the developer see the issue. He or she ought to comprehend the flaw from the bug report. Don’t forget to give developers all the pertinent information they ask for.
Additionally, bug reports should be well-written and contain the necessary information because they will be saved for later use. When describing your bugs, use straightforward language and meaningful sentences. Avoid utilizing ambiguous phrases that will take up the reviewer’s time.
Report each bug as a separate issue. In case of multiple issues in a single bug report, you can’t close it unless all the issues are resolved.
Hence, it is best to split the issues into separate bugs. This ensures that each bug can be handled separately. A well-written bug report helps a developer to reproduce the bug at their terminal. This will help them diagnose the issue as well.
How To Report A Bug
Use the following simple Bug report template:
This is a basic format for bug reports. Depending on the bug report program you’re using, it might change. Certain fields must be included when writing a bug report by hand, such as the bug number, which must be assigned by hand.
Reporter: Your name and email address.
Product: In which product did you find this bug?
Version: The product version, if any.
Component: These are the major sub-modules of the product.
Platform: Mention the hardware platform where you found this bug. The various platforms like ‘PC’, ‘MAC’, ‘HP’, ‘Sun’ etc.
Operating system: Mention all the operating systems where you found the bug. Operating systems like Windows, Linux, Unix, SunOS, and Mac OS. Also, mention the different OS versions like Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, etc., if applicable.
Priority: When should a bug be fixed? Priority is generally set from P1 to P5. P1 as “fix the bug with the highest priority” and P5 as ” Fix when time permits”.
Severity: This describes the impact of the bug.
Types of Severity:
- Blocker: No further testing work can be done.
- Critical: Application crash, Loss of data.
- Major: Major loss of function.
- Minor: Minor loss of function.
- Trivial: Some UI enhancements.
- Enhancement: Request for a new feature or some enhancement in the existing one.
Status: When you are logging the bug into any bug tracking system then by default the bug status will be ‘New’.
Later on, the bug goes through various stages like Fixed, Verified, Reopened, Won’t Fix, etc.
=> Click here to read more about the detailed Bug Life Cycle.
Assign To: If you know which developer is responsible for that particular module in which the bug occurred, then you can specify the email address of that developer.
Otherwise, keep it blank as this will assign the bug to the module owner. If not, the Manager will assign the bug to the developer. Possibly add the manager’s email address to the CC list.
URL: The page URL on which the bug occurred.
Summary: A brief summary of the bug, mostly within 60 words or below. Make sure your summary is reflecting on what the problem is and where it is.
Description: A detailed description of the bug.
Use the following fields for the description field:
- Reproduce steps: Clearly, mention the steps to reproduce the bug.
- Expected result: How the application should behave on the above-mentioned steps.
- Actual result: What is the actual result of running the above steps i.e. the bug behavior?
These are the important steps in the bug report. You can also add “Report Type” as one more field which will describe the bug type.
Report Types include:
1) Coding error
2) Design error
3) New Suggestion
4) Documentation issue
5) Hardware problem
Important Features in Your Bug Report
Given below are a few important features in the Bug report:
1) Bug Number/id
Reporting bugs and referring to them is made considerably simpler with the use of a bug number or identification number (such as swb001). The developer can quickly determine whether or not a specific bug has been fixed. It simplifies and streamlines the entire testing and retesting procedure.
2) Bug Title
More people read bug titles than any other section of the report. This ought should cover everything regarding the bug.
The title of the bug should be sufficiently ambiguous for the reader to grasp. A well-defined bug title facilitates comprehension and allows the reader to determine whether the issue has been reported previously or has been resolved..
3) Priority
Based on the severity of the bug, a priority can be set for it. A bug can be a Blocker, Critical, Major, Minor, Trivial, or a suggestion. Bug priorities can be given from P1 to P5 so that the important ones are viewed first.
4) Platform/Environment
OS and browser configuration is necessary for a clear bug report. It is an effective way to communicate how the bug can be reproduced.
Without the exact platform or environment, the application may behave differently and the bug at the tester’s end may not replicate on the developer’s end. So it is best to clearly mention the environment in which the bug was detected.
5) Description
The bug description aids in the developer’s comprehension of the issue. It explains the issue that was faced. Both developers’ and testers’ time will be wasted and confusion will result from a bad description.
The result of the description must be communicated in a clear and concise manner. Complete sentences are always beneficial. Explaining each issue separately is preferable to dissecting them all at once. Avoid using phrases like “I believe” or “I think.”
6) Steps to Reproduce
The Bug report should clearly mention the steps to reproduce. These steps should include actions that may cause the bug. Don’t make generic statements. Be specific on the steps to follow.
A good example of a well-written procedure is given below
Steps
- Select product Abc01.
- Click on Add to cart.
- Click Remove to remove the product from the cart.
7) Expected and Actual Results
A Bug description is incomplete without the Expected and Actual results. It is necessary to outline what the outcome of the test is and what the user should expect.
The reader should know what the correct outcome of the test is. Mention clearly what happened during the test and what the outcome was.
8) Screenshot
A picture is worth a thousand words. Take a Screenshot of the instance of failure with proper captioning to highlight the defect. Highlight unexpected error messages with light red color. This draws attention to the required area.
Some Bonus Tips To Write A Good Bug Report
Given below are some additional tips on how to write a good Bug report:
1) Report the problem immediately
You don’t have to wait to file a thorough bug report if you discover any issues during testing. Rather, submit a bug report right now. This will guarantee a successful bug report.
There is a greater likelihood that you will overlook crucial steps in your report if you choose to make a bug report later.
2) Reproduce the bug three times before writing a Bug report
You should be able to reproduce your bug. Make sure that your procedures are clear enough to replicate the issue. You can still file a bug stating that it is periodic even if it is not reproducible every time.
3) Test the same bug occurrence on other similar modules
Sometimes the developer uses the same code for different similar modules. So there is a higher chance for the bug in one module to occur in other similar modules as well. You can even try to find the more severe version of the bug you found.
4) Write a good bug summary
The developers will be able to swiftly assess the nature of the bug with the aid of the bug summary. Reports of poor quality will needlessly prolong the time needed for testing and development.
Make sure your bug report summary is clear. Remember that you can use the bug summary as a guide to find the bug in the bug inventory.
5) Read the Bug report before hitting the Submit button
Read all the sentences, wordings, and steps that are used in the bug report. See if any sentence is creating ambiguity that can lead to misinterpretation. Misleading words or sentences should be avoided in order to have a clear bug report.
6) Do not use abusive language.
It’s nice that you did good work and found a bug but do not use this credit for criticizing the developer or attacking any individual.
Conclusion
Your bug report should undoubtedly be of the highest caliber.
Since bug reports serve as the primary means of communication between the management, developer, and tester, concentrate on writing quality ones. Managers should make their staff know that the main duty of each tester is to write a quality bug report.
In addition to saving the organization money, your efforts to write a quality bug report will improve your rapport with the engineers.
Be sure you draft an effective bug report to increase productivity.
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