Defect Life Cycle
The Defect Life Cycle, also known
as the Bug Life Cycle, is the journey of a defect from its discovery to its
closure. This is a key aspect of defect management and understanding it allows
teams to manage defects effectively. The stages of the defect life cycle are
typically as follows:
- New: This is the first stage of the defect
life cycle. When a defect is discovered and logged for the first time, its
status is marked as new.
- Assigned: Once the defect has been logged,
it is evaluated by a project lead or manager. If the defect is valid, it
is assigned to a developer or a team for fixing.
- Open: At this stage, the developer starts
analyzing and working on the defect fix.
- Fixed: The developer makes necessary code
changes and verifies the fix. The status of the defect is then changed to
fixed. The solution needs to be retested, and the defect is marked for
verification.
- Test: During this stage, the tester retests
the code to ensure that the defect has been fixed and is not causing
further issues.
- Verified: If the tester finds that the
defect has been successfully fixed, then its status is changed to
verified.
- Reopen: If the defect still exists even
after the fix, the tester changes the status to reopen. The defect goes
through the life cycle again.
- Closed: If the tester feels that the defect
no longer exists, the status of the defect is changed to closed. This is
the final stage of the defect life cycle.
- Duplicate: If the defect is reported twice,
one defect status is changed to duplicate.
- Deferred: If the defect is expected to be
fixed in the next releases, the status is changed to deferred.
- Rejected: If the developer feels that the
defect is not genuine, they can mark the status as rejected.
- Not a bug: If it is as per the functionality
of the application, then the bug can be marked as not a bug.
Understanding the defect life
cycle helps the software team to track and control the defects throughout the
development process, leading to better software quality.
Defect Template
A defect template is a document
used to capture and track details about a discovered defect during software
testing. It allows for standardized reporting and can streamline the process of
communication and resolution between testers and developers. While the specific
fields can vary depending on the team or the defect tracking tool being used,
here is a common set of details that are usually captured in a defect template:
- Defect ID: A unique identifier for each
defect.
- Title: A short, clear description of the
issue.
- Description: A detailed account of the
defect including what is expected and what is happening instead.
- Steps to Reproduce: Clear, step-by-step
instructions to reproduce the defect. This should include any necessary
setup and the exact inputs used.
- Severity: The level of impact the defect has
on the system. Levels can include critical, major, minor, and trivial.
- Priority: The level of urgency for fixing
the defect. Levels can include high, medium, and low.
- Status: The current status of the defect in
the defect lifecycle, such as new, assigned, open, fixed, retest,
verified, closed, etc.
- Detected By: Name/ID of the tester who found
the defect.
- Assigned To: Name/ID of the developer or
team who is responsible for fixing the defect.
- Date Raised: The date when the defect was
first discovered and reported.
- Environment: Details about the environment
where the defect was found, such as software version, hardware, etc.
- Screenshot/Attachment: If applicable,
screenshots or other attachments that show the defect.
- Resolution/Fix Description: Once fixed,
details about what was done to address the defect.
- Resolved Date: The date when the defect was
fixed.
- Comments/Notes: Any additional information
or comments about the defect.
By using a defect template, a team
can ensure that all necessary information about each defect is captured and
communicated effectively, making it easier to understand and resolve the
issues.