What is Defect Life Cycle in Software Testing? A Complete Guide

Table of Content

1. Defect States and Workflow
2. Best Practices and Tools for Defect Life Cycle Management
3. Conclusion
4. FAQs

Software development is a complex and dynamic process that involves creating, testing, and deploying software applications. In this process, defects or bugs are inevitable. They are the errors or flaws in the software that cause it to behave differently from the expected or desired outcome. Defects can affect the functionality, performance, usability, security, or reliability of the software.

Finding and fixing defects is a crucial part of software testing. It ensures that the software meets the quality standards and satisfies the customer requirements. However, defect management is not a simple task. It requires a systematic and organized approach to track the different stages of a defect from detection to resolution. This is where defect life cycle or bug life cycle comes in.

Defect life cycle is a workflow that describes the various states that a defect goes through in its life span. It also defines the roles and responsibilities of the testers, developers, and managers in each state. Defect life cycle helps to coordinate and communicate the defect status and progress among the stakeholders. It also helps to improve the quality and efficiency of the software testing process.

In this blog post, we will explain what is defect life cycle in software testing, how it works, and what are the best practices and tools for defect life cycle management.

Defect States and Workflow

A defect can go through several states in its life cycle, depending on the defect management process and the tools used. However, some of the common states that a defect can have are:

• New: This is the initial state of a defect when it is reported by the tester or the customer. The defect is not yet assigned or verified by anyone.
• Assigned: This is the state when the defect is assigned to a developer or a team for further investigation and resolution. The developer or the team acknowledges the defect and starts working on it.
• Open: This is the state when the developer or the team confirms that the defect is valid and needs to be fixed. The defect is being resolved.
• Fixed: This is the state when the developer or the team has fixed the defect and marked it as resolved. The defect is ready for retesting by the tester or the customer.
• Pending Retest: This is the state when the defect is waiting for retesting by the tester or the customer. The tester or the customer has to verify if the defect is fixed or not.
• Retest: This is the state when the tester or the customer is retesting the defect to check if it is fixed or not. The tester or the customer has to provide feedback on the defect status.
• Verified: This is the state when the tester or the customer has verified that the defect is fixed and no longer exists. The defect is closed by the tester or the customer.
• Reopen: This is the state when the tester or the customer has retested the defect and found that it is not fixed or has reoccurred. The defect is reopened and assigned to the developer or the team again for further action.
• Closed: This is the final state of a defect when it is fixed and verified by the tester or the customer. The defect is no longer active and does not affect the software quality.
• Duplicate: This is the state when the defect is found to be a duplicate of an existing defect. The defect is marked as duplicate and linked to the original defect.
• Rejected: This is the state when the defect is rejected by the developer or the team for various reasons, such as invalid, not reproducible, not a defect, out of scope, etc. The defect is closed by the developer or the team with an explanation.
• Deferred: This is the state when the defect is deferred or postponed by the developer or the team for a later release or version of the software. The defect is not fixed in the current release or version due to low priority, resource constraints, dependency issues, etc.
• Not a Bug: This is the state when the defect is not a bug but a feature or an enhancement request. The defect is closed by the developer or the team with a clarification.

The roles and responsibilities of the testers, developers, and managers in each state of the defect life cycle are:

• Testers: They are responsible for finding, reporting, retesting, verifying, and closing defects. They also provide feedback and suggestions on the defect status and resolution.
• Developers: They are responsible for investigating, fixing, resolving, and reopening defects. They also provide explanations and clarifications on the defect status and resolution.
• Managers: They are responsible for assigning, prioritizing, categorizing, and tracking defects. They also monitor and report the defect metrics and trends.

Also read: How to perform happy path testing effectively?

Best Practices and Tools for Defect Life Cycle Management

Managing the defect life cycle effectively is essential for ensuring the quality and efficiency of the software testing process. Here are some of the best practices and tips for defect life cycle management:

Use clear and concise defect reports

A defect report should contain all the relevant and necessary information about the defect, such as defect ID, title, description, severity, priority, status, steps to reproduce, expected and actual results, screenshots, attachments, etc. A clear and concise defect report helps to avoid confusion, ambiguity, and duplication of defects. It also helps to speed up the defect investigation and resolution process.

Prioritize and categorize defects

Defects should be prioritized and categorized based on their impact, urgency, and complexity. Prioritization and categorization help to allocate the resources and time for defect resolution accordingly. They also help to focus on the most critical and important defects first and avoid missing any deadlines or quality standards.

Assign and track defects

Defects should be assigned to the appropriate developer or team for resolution. The assignment should be based on the expertise, availability, and workload of the developer or team. Defects should also be tracked throughout their life cycle to monitor their status and progress. Tracking defects helps to ensure accountability, transparency, and communication among the stakeholders. It also helps to identify and resolve any issues or bottlenecks in the defect resolution process.

Perform root cause analysis

Root cause analysis is the process of finding and eliminating the underlying cause of a defect. It helps to prevent the defect from reoccurring or spreading to other parts of the software. Root cause analysis also helps to improve the software quality and reliability by addressing the fundamental problems and not just the symptoms.

Verify and close defects

Defects should be verified and closed by the tester or the customer after they are fixed by the developer or the team. Verification and closure ensure that the defect is resolved and no longer affects the software quality. They also help to update the defect status and metrics and provide feedback and recognition to the developer or the team.

Tools for Defect Life Cycle Management

To facilitate the defect life cycle management process, there are various tools or platforms that can help with defect tracking and reporting. Some of the popular and widely used tools or platforms are:

• JIRA: JIRA is a software development and project management tool that allows creating, managing, and tracking defects and other issues. JIRA provides a customizable and flexible defect life cycle workflow that can be adapted to different project needs and requirements. JIRA also integrates with other software development tools, such as GitHub, Bitbucket, Jenkins, etc., to enable seamless collaboration and automation.
• ClickUp: ClickUp is a cloud-based productivity and project management platform that enables creating, managing, and tracking defects and other tasks. ClickUp offers a simple and intuitive defect life cycle workflow that can be customized and automated with various features, such as statuses, priorities, assignees, dependencies, etc. ClickUp also integrates with other productivity and development tools, such as Slack, Google Drive, Zapier, etc., to enhance the workflow and communication.
• Zoho Assist: Zoho Assist is a cloud-based remote support and access software that allows finding, fixing, and verifying defects remotely. Zoho Assist enables connecting to the customer’s or the tester’s device and performing live troubleshooting and debugging. Zoho Assist also provides features such as chat, file transfer, screen sharing, etc., to facilitate the defect resolution process.

At QAble, we use these tools and best practices to deliver high-quality software testing services and solutions to our clients. We have a team of experienced and skilled testers, developers, and managers who follow a rigorous and systematic defect life cycle management process. We ensure that every defect is detected, reported, fixed, verified, and closed in a timely and efficient manner. We also provide regular and transparent defect reports and metrics to our clients to keep them updated and informed.

Conclusion

Defect life cycle is a vital part of software testing. It describes the various states and transitions that a defect goes through in its life span. It also defines the roles and responsibilities of the testers, developers, and managers in each state. Defect life cycle helps to coordinate and communicate the defect status and progress among the stakeholders. It also helps to improve the quality and efficiency of the software testing process.

To manage the defect life cycle effectively, there are some best practices and tips that can help, such as using clear and concise defect reports, prioritizing and categorizing defects, assigning and tracking defects, performing root cause analysis, verifying and closing defects, etc. There are also some tools or platforms that can help with defect tracking and reporting, such as JIRA, ClickUp, Zoho Assist, etc.