Be direct, don’t beat around the bush — How to write clear and concise bug summaries

One of the biggest challenges for a QA tester is to turn the observation of a found bug into text for the developer to read. The better the bug is written, the easier it is for the developer to understand it. We are the side-kicks of the developers, like the Robin is to Batman. Make sure they can count on you when they’re in need!

First of all, it is important to know on what device the issue occurred …

1 [Device] (Windows desktop, Mac OS, Web Browser, Android/iOS, etc.)
By indicating between the first brackets the type of device

Secondly, indicating the category of the bug. You’ll immediately filter the possibilities down to only one type of issue …

2 [iOS] [Category] (Wording, Functional, Graphical, Performance)
We filter down more …

Optionally, some generic additional information is required. For example, language codes or the device orientation required to find the bug …

3 [iOS] [Graphical] [Additional info] (Language codes, Device orientation, etc.)

Now let’s really get precise, and add the area in which the bug was found …

4 [iOS] [Graphical] [EN] [Portrait] [Area of issue] (Header, My account, Product page, etc.) The Area of issue is the first step that is directly related to the product …

Now it’s time to write the most important part of the bug, a short, yet concise description of the issue …

5 [iOS] [Functional] [EN] [Portrait] [Header] “Description of the issue”
We’ve now brought the developer to the issue, it is time to introduce him to the bug. It is best to introduce him as quick as possible and well as possible, because the developer has a lot of other bugs to meet.

The bug: [iOS] [Graphical] [Header] The button “Start” appears cut-off
Behind the scene:
Dev: What is bugged?
Tester: The button.
Dev: Which button?
Tester: The button “Start”
Dev: What is the problem with the button “Start”?
Tester: The button “Start” appears cut-off.

Lets do another one just to make sure …

The bug: [Mac OS] [Wording] [Product page] The button “Buy now!” in the “Get one for free!” section is displayed as “Bye now!”
Behind the scene:
Dev: What is bugged?
Tester: The button.
Dev: Which button?
Tester: The button “Buy now!”
Dev: What is wrong with the button “Buy now!”?
Tester: The button “Buy now!” is displayed as “Bye now!”

With these easy steps, you will become the best friend of a developer. Great bugs result in great productivity.