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Defect Management Process Overview

The document describes a defect management process that includes 6 stages: 1) discovery of defects, 2) categorization, 3) fixing by developers, 4) verification by testers, 5) closure, and 6) reporting. Defects are prioritized as blocker, high, medium, or low and addressed accordingly. The defect lifecycle involves states like new, assigned, open, fixed, pending retest, retest, reopen, verified, and closed. Key metrics for measuring test quality are the defect rejection ratio and defect leakage ratio.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
324 views6 pages

Defect Management Process Overview

The document describes a defect management process that includes 6 stages: 1) discovery of defects, 2) categorization, 3) fixing by developers, 4) verification by testers, 5) closure, and 6) reporting. Defects are prioritized as blocker, high, medium, or low and addressed accordingly. The defect lifecycle involves states like new, assigned, open, fixed, pending retest, retest, reopen, verified, and closed. Key metrics for measuring test quality are the defect rejection ratio and defect leakage ratio.
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© All Rights Reserved
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  • Discovery of Defect
  • Defect Categorization
  • Verification
  • Defect Resolution
  • Closure
  • Defect Life Cycle
  • Defect Metrics
  • Defect Reporting

Defect Management Process

Defect Management is a systematic process to identify and fix bugs. A defect management cycle
contains the following stages:

1) Discovery of Defect
2) Defect Categorization
3) Fixing of Defect by developers
4) Verification by Testers
5) Defect Closure
6) Defect Reports at the end of Sprint

1. Discovery of Defect

A Defect (bug, problem, issue) in Software Testing is a variation or deviation of the software
application from end user’s requirements or original business requirements. A software defect is
an error in coding which causes incorrect or unexpected results from a software program which
does not meet actual requirements.
In the discovery phase, ideally QA team should be able to identify all possible defects, at
least blockers & high priority ones. This means that we should always focus on finding defects
before merging the actual changes from our testing branch into develop (master) branch code.

2. Defect Categorization

Defect categorization help the software developers to prioritize their tasks. That means that
this kind of priority helps the developers in fixing those defects first that are highly crucial.

Blocker The defects need to be fixed immediately because it


may cause grate damage to the product

High The defect impact the product's main features

Medium The defects causes minima deviation from product


requirements

Low The defect has very minor affect on the product


requirements

All defects identified (low/medium/high priorities or blockers) are usually reported in


separate defect JIRA tickets. There will still be some cases when we will gather similar issues
that have low/medium priorities into one single ticket but blockers & high priority ones should
be always raised as separate tickets.

On our project reporting of bugs is done through JIRA Bug tickets. Each Bug ticket that is
raised should contain the minimum details required, which are:

 Title – Every bug or defect has it’s unique identification number


 Defect Description – This includes the abstract of the issue.
 Product Version – This includes the product version of the application in which the
defect is found.
 Detail Steps – This includes the detailed steps of the issue with the screenshots
attached so that developers can recreate it.
 Date Raised – This includes the Date when the bug is reported
 Reported By – This includes the details of the tester who reported the bug like Name
and ID
 Status – This field includes the Status of the defect like New, Assigned, Open, Retest,
Verification, Closed, Failed, Deferred, etc.
3. Defect Resolution

Defect Resolution in software testing is a step by step process of fixing the defects. Defect
resolution process starts with assigning defects to developers, then developers schedule the
defect to be fixed as per priority, then defects are fixed.

4. Verification

After the development team fixed and reported the defect, the testing team verifies that the
defects are actually resolved.

5. Closure

Once a defect has been resolved and verified, the defect is changed status as closed. If not,
you have send a notice to the development to check the defect again.

Defect Life Cycle

A Defect life cycle, also known as a Bug life cycle, is a cycle of a defect from which it goes
through covering the different states in its entire life. This starts as soon as any new defect is
found by a tester and comes to an end when a tester closes that defect assuring that it won’t get
reproduced again.

Defect Workflow on Sky City project


Defect States

#1) New: This is the first state of a defect in the Defect Life Cycle. When any new defect is
found, it falls in a ‘New’ state, and validations and testing are performed on this defect in the
later stages of the Defect Life Cycle.

#2) Assigned: In this stage, a newly created defect is assigned to the development team for
working on the defect. This is assigned by the project lead or the manager of the testing team to a
developer.

#3) Open: Here, the developer starts the process of analyzing the defect and works on fixing
it, if required. If the developer feels that the defect is not appropriate then it may get transferred
to any of the below four states namely Duplicate, Deferred, Rejected, or Not a Bug-based upon
the specific reason.

I will discuss these four states in a while.

#4) Fixed: When the developer finishes the task of fixing a defect by making the required
changes then he can mark the status of the defect as ‘Fixed’.

#5) Pending Retest: After fixing the defect, the developer assigns the defect to the tester for
retesting the defect at their end, and till the tester works on retesting the defect, the state of the
defect remains in ‘Pending Retest’.

#6) Retest: At this point, the tester starts the task of working on the retesting of the defect to
verify if the defect is fixed accurately by the developer as per the requirements or not.

#7) Reopen: If any issue persists in the defect then it will be assigned to the developer again
for testing and the status of the defect gets changed to ‘Reopen’.

#8) Verified: If the tester does not find any issue in the defect after being assigned to the
developer for retesting and he feels that if the defect has been fixed accurately then the status of
the defect gets assigned to ‘Verified’.

#9) Closed: When the defect does not exist any longer then the tester changes the status of
the defect to ‘Closed’.

Few More:

Rejected: If the defect is not considered as a genuine defect by the developer then it is
marked as ‘Rejected’ by the developer.
Duplicate: If the developer finds the defect as same as any other defect or if the concept of
the defect matches any other defect then the status of the defect is changed to ‘Duplicate’ by the
developer.
Deferred: If the developer feels that the defect is not of very important priority and it can get
fixed in the next releases or so in such a case, he can change the status of the defect as
‘Deferred’.
Not a Bug: If the defect does not have an impact on the functionality of the application then
the status of the defect gets changed to ‘Not a Bug’.
6. Defect Reporting

Defect Reporting in software testing is a process in which test managers prepare and send the
defect report to the management team for feedback on defect management process and defects’
status. Then the management team checks the defect report and sends feedback or provides
further support if needed. Defect reporting helps to better communicate, track and explain
defects in detail.

Defect Metrics

How to measure and evaluate the quality of the test execution?

In the above scenario, you can calculate the defection rejection ratio (DRR) is 20/84 = 0.238
(23.8 %).

Another example, supposed the Guru99 Bank website has total 64 defects, but your testing team
only detect 44 defects i.e. they missed 20 defects. Therefore, you can calculate the defect leakage
ratio (DLR) is 20/64 = 0.312 (31.2 %).

Conclusion, the quality of test execution is evaluated via following two parameters

The smaller value of DRR and DLR is, the better quality of test execution is. What is the ratio
range which is acceptable? This range could be defined and accepted base in the project target or
you may refer the metrics of similar projects.

In this project, the recommended value of acceptable ratio is 5 ~ 10%. It means the quality of test
execution is low. You should find countermeasure to reduce these ratios such as

Improve the testing skills of member.


Spend more time for testing execution, especially for reviewing the test execution results.

Common questions

Powered by AI

Defect metrics like DRR and DLR are vital for evaluating test execution quality as they provide quantitative measures of efficiency. A lower DRR implies that fewer defects are incorrectly marked or rejected, indicating accurate defect identification. Similarly, a lower DLR suggests fewer missed defects, signifying effective test detection processes. These metrics help in assessing how well testing efforts are capturing defects and inform decisions on improving testing strategies, such as enhancing skills or adjusting execution time .

Categorizing defects is essential for prioritizing tasks and managing resources efficiently. By prioritizing defects as low, medium, high, or blockers, developers can address the most critical issues first, which is crucial for maintaining the software's stability and user satisfaction. This practice streamlines the defect management process by ensuring that the most significant defects are resolved promptly, reducing the chance of critical errors reaching production environments .

The 'Closed' state is significant in the defect lifecycle as it signifies the completion of the defect resolution process. It is typically achieved when a defect has been verified as fixed by the testing team and is confirmed not to exist any longer. Achieving this status involves thorough testing to ensure that the defect is resolved to meet the project requirements, preventing its recurrence and solidifying quality assurance outcomes .

Improper management of 'Duplicate' and 'Rejected' states can lead to resource wastage and confusion within the development and testing processes. Without careful tracking of duplicate defects, teams may allocate redundant effort on issues that have already been addressed, thus reducing efficiency. Similarly, if defects are incorrectly marked as 'Rejected,' valid issues may remain unresolved, risking potential software failures. Adequate management ensures that these defects are correctly classified and prevents unnecessary expenditure of time and resources .

Proper defect closure contributes to quality assurance goals by ensuring all identified issues are resolved and verified according to project standards before product release. This process prevents defects from resurfacing, thereby enhancing software reliability and user satisfaction. It confirms that the software meets predefined requirements and specifications, supporting continuous delivery of high-quality products .

The defect discovery phase is critical to the software development lifecycle because identifying defects early can prevent costly fixes later on. It allows QA teams to focus on identifying blockers and high-priority defects before changes are merged into the master branch, reducing the risk of larger issues affecting the product in later stages. Catching defects early helps avoid deviations from user requirements, ensuring that the final software product meets the original business objectives and prevents cumulative negative impact on the project timeline and budget .

A defect is categorized as 'Deferred' when it is not crucial for the current release and can be fixed in future updates. This decision is often based on factors such as the defect's impact on the current application functionality and resource availability. Deferring a defect might have implications for project planning as it requires careful scheduling and prioritization in upcoming release cycles, ensuring that it doesn't affect the application's core functionalities or user satisfaction adversely in the meantime .

The defect reporting process enhances communication and trackability by providing structured documentation of defects, including details such as identification number, description, status, and resolution steps. This structure allows both the development and management teams to monitor defects' progress, identify trends or recurrent issues, and address them systematically. It facilitates cross-team communication, ensuring everyone is aligned on defect statuses and any needed actions .

The transition from 'Pending Retest' to 'Verified' or 'Closed' highlights effective communication between development and testing teams. It indicates the testing team's acknowledgment that the defect has been adequately addressed and verified post-fix. Successful transition at this stage demonstrates that information and status updates were clearly exchanged and understood by both teams, ensuring that the defect resolution aligns with project requirements .

Defect documentation and categorization are crucial for effective resolution and project management. Documentation provides a comprehensive record of defect characteristics, enabling efficient tracking and communication across teams. Categorization assists in prioritizing defect resolution based on severity, enabling strategic planning and resource allocation to critical issues. Together, they support a systematic approach to problem-solving, ensuring high-priority defects are addressed expediently, reducing the impact on project timelines and quality outcomes .

Defect Management Process
Defect Management is a systematic process to identify and fix bugs. A defect management cycle 
cont
In the discovery phase, ideally QA team should be able to identify all possible defects, at 
least blockers & high priority o
3. Defect Resolution
Defect Resolution in software testing is a step by step process of fixing the defects. Defect 
resolutio
Defect States
#1) New: This is the first state of a defect in the Defect Life Cycle. When any new defect is 
found, it falls
Deferred: If the developer feels that the defect is not of very important priority and it can get 
fixed in the next releases
6. Defect Reporting
Defect Reporting in software testing is a process in which test managers prepare and send the
defect repo

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