In 2016, bugs in software cost the worldwide economy $1.1 million, whereas in 2018, this number reached $2.8 trillion in the US alone. The consequences of software failure can be rather serious, but the implementation of effective steps in the bug life cycle in testing combined with regular software assessment starting from the early stages of its development can significantly improve the quality of applications and help companies avoid financial complications. Read this article to find out what these stages of the bug life cycle are.
The bug life cycle components
The bug life cycle, or the defect life cycle, is the process describing the stages through which a software bug goes from the moment of its discovery until its resolution. Below are the fundamental stages of the bug life cycle in testing:
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New
The first stage initiates the bug-tracking process when it is identified and reported along with environment details, steps for its reproduction, and other relevant information.
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Assigned/Opened
After the bug is reviewed, it should be assigned to the right developer who has sufficient expertise and knowledge to address this issue.
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In Progress
This is the stage when the developer is working on resolving the software issue. It is necessary to keep track of the fixing process as it helps to coordinate efforts between the development and testing teams.
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Resolved/Fixed
At this stage, the developer has already fixed the problem; however, the code changes require testing. Without verification of the fix, the suggested bug resolution can be treated only as a potential solution, as it is crucial to ensure it can adequately address the problem.
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Pending retest
The stage when the code that is expected to resolve the software issue is waiting for retesting is commonly referred to as pending retest or just retest.
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Verified/Closed
Once the proposed solution is confirmed by testers as effective, the bug is considered fixed, and the resolution is accepted.
Additional stages that may occur in the bug life cycle
In certain cases, the bug life cycle stages do not happen linearly, and additional stages may occur. Some of them are described below:
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Reopened
It may turn out that a bug resolution does not prove to be helpful, or, in certain scenarios, it can even lead to further problems with the software. If such issues are identified, the testing team reopens the bug, and the development team further works on it to find an effective resolution.
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Duplicate
Sometimes, a defect is marked as a duplicate when the developer finds that it has already been reported. This is particularly common if the same bug is present in another module or software.
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Rejected
It may also happen that the developer disagrees with labeling a reported issue as a valid defect or that it requires fixing. A duplicate mentioned above is one of the scenarios when the developer may reject the bug. Some other possible situations include misunderstanding of the software behavior or requirements or issues with bug reproduction. Furthermore, too minor or large, costly, or risky-to-fix bugs can also be rejected.
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Deferred
Not all bugs are fixed right after they are reported. As a rule, developers prioritize bugs for fixing and can postpone working on some of them. It may also happen that the fixing process depends on other factors, or the bug resolution may be included only in a future software release.
The importance of the bug life cycle in testing
Companies that do not have clearly defined stages in the bug life cycle or do not use a standardized process for bug reporting and resolution can still be effective in fixing software issues. However, the bug life cycle can significantly optimize this process.
Clear issue identification and effective reporting, which initiate the bug life cycle, considerably improve communication between testers and developers, which is essential for effective problem resolution. Some other advantages of defining standardized stages of the bug life cycle include:
- Enhanced visibility into the development and testing processes supported by effective progress tracking;
- Increased accountability from developers due to clearly outlined responsibilities and assignments;
- Facilitated bug prioritization, which helps to promptly address the most critical defects;
- Efficient workflow between testing and development teams;
- Regression prevention due to retesting and verification.
As a result, the effective stages of the standardized bug life cycle process help teams increase the quality of their software, achieve greater customer satisfaction, and avoid costly issues related to faulty software mentioned earlier.
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Bug life cycle statistics
Software development and testing teams can further optimize the bug life cycle stages by gathering relevant statistical data. By measuring and analyzing aspects such as the number of bugs, their severity, priority, duration, and resolution, companies can gain useful insights into the possibilities for further improvement of the quality of their software. Some of the popular metrics included in bug life cycle statistics are:
- Bug density, which describes the number of defects detected per a specified unit of software, for example, a certain number of code lines or a module;
- Bug severity distribution, the measurement of the percentage of bugs detected in the software categorized based on their severity such as trivial, minor, major, and critical;
- Bug verification time, which is the time the tester has spent verifying a certain defect;
- Bug fix time or the time required for fixing the issue by the developer;
- Bug resolution distribution or the percentage of bugs under different categories based on their resolution status, for instance, incomplete, fixed, or duplicate.
Conclusions: efficient software testing
The bug life cycle is necessary for maintaining a well-structured, clear, and effectively organized approach to addressing software defects. Its efficiency can be further enhanced by the implementation of comprehensive test automation solutions like Executive Automats, which also support teams with automated test result reporting.
