Defect Management in Software Testing

In a perfect world where testers’ lives are easy, the software is developed and passed through comprehensive verification on real devices quickly, efficiently, and without flaws. Devs are happy, as are testers and, most importantly, the end-users.

But since we do not live in a perfect world, testers must deal with numerous bugs, defects, and flaws before a website or app is considered suitable for public usage. Since users expect nothing short of excellent, solid QA process metrics must be in place.

• Modern software is complex and multi-layered, built on mountains of code and intertwined programming languages.
• This usually results in numerous bugs that must be identified, documented, tracked, and fixed.
• This can be a complicated and time-consuming task without the right strategy and testing tools.

In the following sections, let’s learn about the defect management process, the metrics to go after, and the role of real device testing and defect management tools.

The Need for a Defect Management Process

Defect management is a fixture in software testing strategies. Without the right defect-tracking tools and defect management process, bugs will inevitably escape into production. This will adversely affect user experience, damage credibility, and possibly lead to negative reviews that discourage further usage.

This article will take readers through the basics of the defect management process and its role in creating usable, appealing, and value-driven software. To begin with, understand what a defect is.

What is a Defect?

Think of a defect as a deviation from expected software behavior. In other words, if a website or app functions differently from what users expect, that particular variation would be considered a defect.

• In software testing circles, the term defect is often used interchangeably with bug. However, there is a technical difference.
• A bug is a defect that results from an error or some issue in code. This is not true for all defects.

The two have in common that they need to be identified and fixed by testing teams.

Note: In this article, the terms will also be used interchangeably.

The Defect Management Process

Defect Identification

One cannot manage bugs that one cannot see. Testers have to start with identifying every single defect in a website or app. Remember that testing software in real user conditions is the only way to detect every defect.

• Testing teams must find as many defects as possible so that they can be acknowledged, categorized, and resolved by developers.
• To identify and categorize defects, it is essential to have a singular, accessible system that all testers can have at hand to see. When choosing among defect management tools, look for these features in particular.
• Avoid emulators or simulators as they cannot provide 100% accurate results; therefore, testers and QA managers won’t be able to evaluate the testing process accurately.
• Testers are bound to miss bugs without testing on real browsers and devices.

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Defect Categorization

Once defects have been identified, ensure that the correct data has been captured. Data quality and data visualization allow testers and developers to fix precisely what went wrong in the least amount of time. Don’t collect too much data because developers don’t have the time to comb through mountains of information to figure out what they need to work on.

The correct information for each defect should include:

• Description
• Bug Severity
• Cost of fixing
• Feature in which defect was identified
• Name of the tester who identified the defect
• Defect type
• Revision and release deadlines

There are multiple stages in a bug’s lifespan –

1. Active: The bug is being investigated
2. Test: The bug has been fixed, and the debugged software is ready to be tested
3. Verified: The bug has been re-tested and approved by the QA engineer
4. Closed: Bug has been resolved completely

Bugs must be managed according to priority and severity; These levels identify how much impact a bug has on a product. Generally speaking, severity levels can be categorized into the following:

1. Low: The bug won’t result in any noticeable breakdown of the system
2. Minor: Results in some unexpected or undesired behavior, but not enough to disrupt system function
3. Major: Bug capable of collapsing large parts of the system
4. Critical: Bug capable of triggering complete system shutdown

Defect Resolution

Now that bugs have been identified and relevant information has been recorded, informed decisions can be made about resolving each defect. Naturally, fixing errors early on in the process help save cost and effort because errors tend to magnify as the software becomes more complex.

 Steps for effective defect resolution:

1. Allocation: Each bug is allocated to a developer (ideally the one responsible for creating the software). Remember to change the bug status so the entire team knows that a defect is being dealt with. Create a schedule to fix the whole repertoire of defects based on defect priority.
2. Resolution: As devs work on fixing defects, Test Managers track the process about the schedule above.
3. Reporting: Managers receive reports from developers about resolved bugs and update their status on the database by marking them Closed.

Defect Analysis

Now that defects have been detected, categorized, and resolved, step back and look at the big picture. Defect analysis considers inputs about singular defects as well as defect priorities, product issues, defect resolution history, developers involved, and the like.

• Collect the critical error data and the corresponding correction action, and share the learnings with relevant teams.
• This directs future development practices to avoid defects in the first place or refine resolution methods so that bugs can be fixed faster.
• Both self and peer reviews are powerful tools for learning and motivation.
• If the QA process supports defect analysis, it almost always translates to a better-functioning team aiming for zero defects. Put analysis in place as a mandatory part of defect management in software testing.

Quality Metrics for the Defect Management Process

A few defect management metrics are helpful when measuring and gauging the quality of test execution. This, in turn, helps determine the nature and quality of the defect management process in software testing.

1. Defect Rejection Ratio: (Number of defects rejected/Total number of defects detected) X 100
2. Defect Leakage Ratio: (Number of defects missed/Total number of defects detected) X 100

The smaller the value of both metrics is, the better the quality of test execution.

The role of Real Devices

In the absence of an in-house device lab, opting for a cloud-based testing service that provides real device browsers and operating systems is the best option. BrowserStack offers 3000+ real browsers and devices for manual and automated testing. Users can sign up, choose desired device-browser-OS combinations and start testing.

• When it comes to websites, ensure that it is under the purview of both manual testing and automation testing.
• Selenium testing should supplement manual tests so that testers do not miss any bugs in the Quality Assurance process.
• The same applies to mobile app testing and automated app testing.
• Use defect management tools or project management tools such as JIRA, Trello, GitHub, and Slack for effective allocation, resolution, and reporting.

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Wrapping Up,

The defect management process is at the heart of software testing. At the level of brass tacks, software tests are about finding and fixing bugs. The defect management process in Agile is vital because development sprints must also include involvement, participation, and action from testers. This ensures that goals are met to completion in each sprint AKA the feature being worked on isn’t just developed but verified for flaws and fixed until it functions perfectly.