Guidelines to establish Defect Life Cycle


What exactly is the Defect Life Cycle?

In software testing, the defect life cycle or bug life cycle is the exact collection of stages that a defect or bug passes through over its existence. The aim of the defect life cycle is to make it uncompleted to coordinate and communicate the current state of a defect that changes to multiple assignees, as well as to make the defect repair process systematic and efficient.

The term "defect life cycle" refers to the whole path of a defect, beginning with its detection by a testing team and ending with its fixing and closure by a development team in software testing. Defects are closed by ensuring that they are either not repeatable or are rejected by the development team.

A software defect is described as a scenario in which software does not meet the intended criteria. To totally handle a project in a more suitable manner, one must simply deal with development and release. However, one should be aware that, in addition to development and release, one must also understand how to address problems that arise.

A defect life cycle is required in such scenarios to regulate and handle faults in a more suitable and effective manner. The overall number of states that a fault must pass through varies from project to project. A fault can occur at any step of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including requirements gathering, software design, development phase, testing phase, or customer acceptance testing performed by the end-user while using the product.

Guidelines for Creating a Defect Life Cycle

Guidelines are essential procedures that must be followed in order to effectively execute the Defect life cycle. These guidelines are as follows −

  • Understand fault states − It goes without saying that before we begin working on a project, we need to be aware of everything connected to that project, including its many states, design, and operation. Similarly, before we begin working on flaws in the defect life cycle, the entire team must completely and clearly grasp the different stages of the defect and what each defect condition really implies.

  • Understand responsibility − For more efficient and better outcomes, each individual should be aware of their responsibilities before beginning to work on something. Individuals who are unaware of their obligations will not work with full determination, will not provide their best efforts, and will be less focused on their jobs or responsibilities. As a result, the repercussions will become more severe, and the findings produced will be inaccurate and incorrect. As a result, it is necessary to guarantee that each employee is aware of their responsibilities. Similarly, in the defect life cycle, any individual who has been assigned any duty linked to the faulty life cycle should know and grasp their role very thoroughly in order to achieve more accurate and better outcomes.

  • Defect tracking tool − It is best to avoid accepting any request linked to a defect that does not result in an acceptable change in the defect status in the defect tracking tool. To ensure consistency among faults, this instrument should be handled and regulated with greater care. This will provide uniformity in the faulty life cycle workflow. If we take shortcuts, we will never have up-to-date and trustworthy defect metrics for analysis.

  • Proper Documentation − The defect life cycle should be documented more thoroughly. If the documentation process is followed correctly, there will be no confusion or difficulties with any state in the future.

Status of Defects

Bug or Defect Status The current condition of the defect or bug in the defect life cycle is referred to as its status. The objective of defect status is to properly express the present condition or progress of a defect or bug so that the defect life cycle may be tracked and understood better.

The number of states that a problem passes through varies depending on the project. The lifespan diagram below depicts all potential states.

  • New − When a new fault is initially registered and uploaded, it is considered new. It is given the status NEW.

  • Assigned − After the tester posts the bug, the tester's lead confirms it and assigns it to the programming team.

  • Open − The developer begins studying and repairing the problem.

  • Fixed − When a developer performs a necessary code modification and validates the change, the bug status is changed to "Fixed."

  • Pending retest − Once the flaw has been corrected, the developer provides the tester with a unique code for retesting the code. Because the software testing is still pending from the testers' end, the status is "pending retest."

  • Retest − At this step, the tester retests the code to see whether the defect has been addressed by the developer and changes the status to "Re-test."

Life Cycle of a Defect

  • Verified − The tester re-tests the problem after the developer has solved it. If no bugs are found in the program, the bug is resolved and the status is changed to "confirmed."

  • Reopen − If the issue still persisted after the developer has solved it, the tester sets the status to "reopened." The insect has to go through the life cycle once again.

  • Closed − If the bug no longer exists, the tester marks it as "Closed."

  • Duplicate − The status is changed to "duplicate" if the defect is repeated twice or if the defect relates to the same idea as the bug.

  • Rejected − If the developer believes the fault is not real, the defect is marked as "rejected."

  • Deferred − If the current problem is not a top priority and is expected to be resolved in the future release, it is awarded the status "Deferred."

  • Not a bug − If a defect has no effect on the application's functioning, the status ascribed to it is "Not a bug."

Explanation of the Defect Life Cycle

The Life Cycle of a Defect or a Bug - What You Need to Know!

  • The tester discovers the flaw.

  • The defect has been assigned the status of New.

  • A problem is reported to the Project Manager for investigation.

  • The Project Manager determines whether or not a defect is legitimate.

  • The flaw is invalid in this case, thus the status is "Rejected."

  • As a result, the project manager gives the status refused. If the problem is not rejected, the next stage is to determine if it is within the scope of the project.

  • Assume we have another function—email functionality for the same application—and you discover a bug with it. However, when such problems are assigned a postponed or deferred status, they are not included in the current release.

  • The manager then checks to see if a similar problem has been reported previously. If the answer is true, the fault is assigned the status duplicate.

  • If not, the problem is assigned to a developer, who begins working on the code.

  • The defect is given the status in progress at this point.

  • Once the code has been corrected. A defect is given the statue is repaired.

  • The code will then be retested by the tester. If the Test Case succeeds, the fault is resolved. If the test cases fail once again, the defect is reopened and assigned to a developer.

  • Consider the following scenario: During the first release of Flight Reservation, a flaw was discovered in a Fax order, which was rectified and assigned a status of closed. The identical bug reappeared on the second upgrade release. In such circumstances, a previously closed fault will be reopened.

That concludes the Bug Life Cycle.

With the assistance of an example, this training video illustrates the many stages of a bug's aka defect's life cycle and its significance.

Questions and Answers

Q #1) What exactly is a defect in the context of software testing?

Answer − A defect is any fault or error in an application that impedes its regular flow by mismatching an application's intended behavior with its actual behavior.

Q #2) What is the primary distinction between Error, Defect, and Failure?

Answer −

  • Error − When developers discover a discrepancy between the actual and intended behavior of an application during the development phase, they refer to it as an Error.

  • Defect − A Defect occurs when testers discover a discrepancy between the actual and intended behavior of an application during the testing phase.

  • Failure − When clients or end-users discover a discrepancy between the actual and intended behavior of an application during the production phase, they refer to it as a Failure.

Q #3) What is the status of a defect when it is discovered?

Answer − When a new flaw is discovered, it is in a new condition. This is the initial condition of a freshly discovered flaw.

Q #4) What are the various phases of a defect in the defect life cycle when a developer approves and fixes a problem?

Answer − In this example, the different statuses of a defect are New, Assigned, Open, Fixed, Pending Retest, Retest, Verified, and Closed.

Q 5) What happens if a tester discovers an issue with a defect that has been resolved by a developer?

Answer − The tester might indicate the defect's condition as. If he still discovers a problem with the repaired defect, he should reopen it, and the defect should be assigned to a developer for retesting.

Updated on: 30-Oct-2021

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