Common Problems in Bug Tracking

Bangalore: Software bugs are not only annoying to the tester but are also expensive and have cost the testing industry millions. Although, testers work tirelessly to ensure that the software is free from bugs, however some of them manage to go unnoticed.

Here are some of the common problems faced by testers in bug tracking as mentioned on softwaretestingclass.com.

1.    Improper Bug Logging Process
The bug report should be simple and self explainable as developers depend on the reports filed by testers for vital information with regards to the bugs that were detected. It should distinguish between bugs that are severe and those that aren’t. If bugs are not properly reported, the defect life cycle process increases.

2.    Using Issue Tracking Templates
Another major issue in bug reporting is the use of different tracking templates by the team members. To prevent future problems, a standard template should be used by all team members.

3.     Bug Tracking Tools
With the large number of tracking tools available in the market today, it becomes difficult for a tester or the testing firm to select the best tool. Moreover, when the process of bug tracking is not clear, testers will find difficulty in selecting the best tool for the project.

4.    Distinguishing between Severity and Priority
Testers should distinguish between Severity and Priority of the detected bugs. When testers can’t distinguish between how urgent the bug has to be fixed and the degree of impact a bug will have, it will have an effect on bug tracking.

5.    Reporting Bugs
Testers should not convey the defects they detected through Emails, SMS and phone calls. To keep track of all the bugs for future references, testers should use bug tracking software.

6.    Control over the Test Environment
Often, testers are not aware of what has been deployed and what has not. At times, developers make some changes to the software which testers are not aware of and this result in the software being tested over again.