Identify, control and resolve errors in software development is one of the most critical aspects to ensure a quality final product. bugs, those small bugs that so often complicate the lives of developers, follow a defined process from the moment they are detected until they are considered completely resolved. Effective management of bug life cycle It can be key to optimizing resources and time, as mentioned in additional resources.
How are bugs detected? Who is responsible for fixing them? What tools are used? Throughout this article, we'll answer all these questions to help you efficiently manage software errors.
What is a bug in software development?
It is defined as a bug or software error Any defect that causes an unexpected or incorrect result in an applicationBugs can arise from a variety of causes: from human error to infrastructure issues, to external circumstances such as physical conditions or electromagnetic interference. To better understand the problem, it's helpful to review information about the implications of corrupted software, as well as how to prevent errors in code.
Sometimes a bug can be slippery and only manifest themselves in very specific situations, which makes their detection and resolution take longer than desirable. Hence the importance of properly recording each defect for detailed follow-up.
Phases of a bug's life cycle
The life cycle of a bug is a structured process that follows a series of stages. Although each company or tool may have a different nomenclature or flow, most systems agree on the following general phases:
- New: The error has been detected and is being logged for the first time.
- Under review: It is verified whether it can be reproduced and whether it is really a defect.
- In progress: The bug has been validated and is ready to be worked on.
- Assigned: a specific developer or team is designated to solve it.
- Developing: The team is working on correcting the defect.
- In testing: is being tested to confirm that it is resolved.
- QA Validated: The quality team ensures that it does not reproduce and does not generate side effects.
- Closed: It is considered resolved and is filed for future reference.
- Reopened: If the error persists after testing, the cycle is returned to.
Each change of state must be well documented to maintain full traceability during project development.
Classification according to severity and priority
Correct management of the bug cycle involves assessing its importance according to two main axes. On the one hand, we have the severity (severity), which measures the impact it has on the functionality of the software. On the other hand, the priority, which determines the urgency with which it should be addressed.
These are the degrees in which the severity factor of a bug is measured:
- Less: visual defects, typographical errors, incorrect documentation.
- Medium: It causes minor failures that do not compromise operation.
- Height does not block, but affects important functions.
- Critical: blocks essential functions, prevents use of the system.
Regarding priority, it must be said that it depends more on business or client criteria. Sometimes, a visual error (serious or minor) can have high priority for image reasons.
Most common types of software errors
Various types of bugs can occur during development. Here are some of the most common:
- Compilation errors: They are usually caused by incorrect syntax, missing libraries, or missing configurations. They are easy to detect because they directly prevent the code from compiling.
- Logical errors: The hardest to find. The code compiles and runs, but the result is incorrect due to poorly thought-out decisions.
- Runtime errors: occur when running software, such as divisions by zero or loop breaks.
- Integration errors: They appear when modules do not communicate properly with each other.
- Performance bugs: affect efficiency, such as excessive loading times or poorly managed memory.
Identifying the type of error can save many hours of debugging and better focus the team's work, especially if error tracking tools are used.
The work of the testers It's key to the bug lifecycle. They not only report the defect, but they must also validate it once it's fixed. It's a common mistake for developers to mark a bug as closed without it being re-verified.
Good practices in bug management
To ensure effective error resolution, it is advisable to follow certain guidelines:
- Assign clear responsibilities: Each bug must have a developer and a tester assigned.
- Document the entire process: changes made, version corrected, environment checked.
- Extensive testing: unitary, integrated, regression or automated if possible.
- Record as much information as possible: environment, steps to reproduce it, device, browser, logs, screenshots.
These best practices help prevent repeated errors and ensure traceability throughout the project.
Tools used to manage bugs
Today, we have numerous defect management tools that are integrated into the agile development workflow. Some of the best known are:
- Azure DevOps: Widely used in environments that use Microsoft tools. It allows for complete tracking of bugs and tasks.
- JIRA: Probably the most common. It allows you to create issues, assign them, add priority, status, attachments, comments, etc.
- Tricentis: Powerful tool that enables defect management associated with test cases, especially useful in automated testing.
Using these tools improves communication, facilitates visibility into the status of each bug, and enables reporting and measurement for future improvements.
What a good bug report should look like
A good report doesn't just indicate that something is wrong, but also helps you understand what's wrong, how it's reproduced, what impact it has, and what's expected to happen. Some essential elements:
- Unique identifier y descriptive title.
- Date of detection, environment, device, operating system and version.
- Specific steps to reproduce it and expected vs. obtained results.
- Catches or videos of the defect.
- Additional Information: logs, data used, links to related tasks.
- Criticality and priority.
- Clear assignments of who reports and who solves.
The more detailed and clear the report, the faster the bug can be resolved. without having to waste time asking additional questions or reproducing the problem.
Collaboration and team culture
Efficient bug management requires a high degree of collaborationA bug isn't a person's mistake, but an opportunity to improve the product. Promoting retrospective meetings, root-cause analysis, and thorough process documentation helps prevent the same errors from happening again in the future.
The bug lifecycle isn't just a sequence of states; it's a reflection of the health of the team and the product. Good problem management makes the difference between professional software and one filled with makeshift patches. With the right tools, good practices, and teamwork, Bugs can go from being a problem to a continuous opportunity for learning and improvement.