What is bug life cycle?
The bug life cycle is the process that a software bug goes through from its discovery to its resolution. It includes a series of stages, such as being reported, acknowledged, and assigned to a developer, to being resolved, verified, and closed. It is a systematic approach to manage and track the issues found in the software development process and to ensure that they are resolved in a timely and efficient manner. The goal of the bug life cycle is to identify and fix bugs as early in the development process as possible, in order to prevent them from becoming more costly and time-consuming to fix later on.
The bug lifecycle stages and names are highly customizable, it can be tailored to fit the organization’s specific needs and processes. It is not fixed or rigid, but the goal of identifying and fixing bugs early remains the same, however, it typically includes the following stages:
Stages:
- New: The bug is reported and has not yet been acknowledged or triaged.
- Assigned: After reporting a bug by tester, it is reviewed and approved by the tester’s lead, who then assigns it to the developer team for further investigation and resolution.
- Open: In this stage the developer starts investigating and working on resolving the defect, by analyzing it. They also have to check if the bug is valid or invalid before proceeding to the next stage.
- In Progress: In this stage the developer is actively working on resolving the defect or bug.
- Ready to Marge (Optional): In this stage issue has been fixed, and tested by developer, and ready to be integrated into the main codebase. It is important to ensure that the code is stable, and it meets the requirements and standards of the project before merging. Development team lead is mainly responsible for this action.
- Ready to Test: The defect or bug has been resolved and is awaiting for verification by tester, this stage also called Fixed.
- Retesting: At this stage, the tester begins the process of retesting the bug to ensure that it has been fixed correctly and accurately as per the requirements, this stage also called Testing.
- Verified: The defect or bug has been verified as resolved and is ready for release.
- Closed: The defect or bug has been closed and is no longer active.
- Rejected: If the developer determines that a reported bug is not valid, they will change its status to ‘Rejected’ and will not address it.
- Not a Bug: If a defect does not affect the functionality of the application, it will be considered ‘Not a Bug’ by the developer.
- Duplicate: If a defect is found to be a repeat of a previously reported issue or has the same concept as an existing bug, then the developer will change its status to ‘Duplicate’.
- Not Reproduce: If the developer is unable to reproduce a defect with the information provided by the tester, the defect will be marked as ‘Not Reproduce’.
- On Hold/Deferred: If the developer considers a bug to be low priority or out of scope at the moment, it will be marked as ‘On Hold/Deferred’.
- Reopen: If a fixed bug is found again after verification, the tester will move it to the ‘Reopen’ stage.
Importance of bug life cycle management in Software Testing!
The bug life cycle management is an essential aspect of software testing as it ensures that defects and bugs are identified, tracked, and resolved in a timely and efficient manner.
- Tracking and Monitoring: The bug life cycle management allows teams to track and monitor the progress of defects and bugs from the point of discovery to resolution. It provides a clear and structured approach for identifying, prioritizing, and resolving issues.
- Quality Assurance: It ensures that the software is of high quality, by identifying and resolving defects and bugs early in the development process. This reduces the risk of defects being found in later stages, which can be more costly and time-consuming to fix.
- Collaboration and Communication: It promotes collaboration and communication among team members. Testers, developers, and other stakeholders can share information about defects and bugs and work together to resolve them.
- Transparency: It provides transparency into the development process. By tracking the status of defects and bugs, stakeholders can see the progress that is being made and identify any potential roadblocks.
- Continuous Improvement: It is a tool for continuous improvement. By learning from past defects and bugs, teams can identify areas for improvement and make changes that will result in better quality software in the future.
Overall, the bug life cycle management is crucial in software testing because it helps teams to identify, track, and resolve defects and bugs, which ultimately leads to the delivery of high-quality software that meets the needs of the end-users.
