How To Write A Good Bug Report?

Last Updated : 22 Mar, 2024

A well-written bug report is essential in software testing to facilitate effective communication between testers and developers, leading to improved program quality and user satisfaction. This article explores the key practices for writing thorough bug reports, helping in quick issue identification and resolution.

Table of Content

What is a Bug Report?

A bug report is a written report that provides details about a hardware or software error or malfunction. Typically, it contains information on how to duplicate the problem, what behavior is expected, and what behavior is observed. A bug report's main goal is to accurately describe the issue to the development team so that they can work toward a solution.

A bug-reporting system must record every bug to find, rank, and quickly fix them.
If this isn't done, the developer might not understand the problem or ignore it, and management might not realize how serious it is and leave it in production.

Benefits of a Good Bug Report

Detailed Problem Description: It provides a clear and thorough explanation of the issue encountered, helping developers understand the nature and scope of the problem.
Reproducibility Instructions: It includes detailed steps to reproduce the issue consistently, allowing developers to test and verify the bug's existence and behavior.
System Details: It includes information about the operating system, software version, and relevant settings, which are important for identifying potential causes and solutions.
Enables Teamwork: It enables collaboration and shared understanding among team members by providing a common reference point for discussing and addressing the bug.
Saves Time and Money: By providing essential information upfront, a good bug report reduces the time spent on debugging and troubleshooting, ultimately saving resources and costs.
Streamlines Development Procedures: It helps prioritize and allocate resources effectively, leading to more efficient development processes and faster bug resolution.

Elements of an Effective Bug Report

To create an effective bug report in software testing and development processes, consider including the following elements:

Clear Title: Provide a concise and descriptive title that summarizes the issue for easy identification.
Description of the Issue: Explain the problem encountered, its symptoms, and how it affects the system's functionality or performance.
Steps to Reproduce: Outline the precise steps required to consistently reproduce the error, including any specific inputs or configurations.
Expected System Behavior: Describe the normal behavior of the system under the given conditions.
Alternative Behavior: Highlight the deviation from the expected behavior, emphasizing the specific differences or unexpected outcomes.
Responsible Individual or Group: Specify the person or team responsible for investigating and resolving the bug.
Bug State Changes: Use a defined set of states (e.g., open, in progress, resolved) to track the bug's progress and update its status as it moves through the resolution process.
Notes and Updates: Allow team members to contribute notes, updates, or additional information related to the bug, promoting collaboration and communication within the team.

How To Write A Good Bug Report?

To write a good bug report in software testing/development, include a brief title, detailed problem explanation, steps to reproduce, system environment details, expected and actual behavior, attachments (screenshots/logs), bug severity evaluation, and any additional notes for efficient communication and problem-solving.

1. Title/Bug ID

For ease of tracking and reference, the title or Bug ID provides a succinct identification of the problem. The solution should offer a concise overview of the issue, enabling quick comprehension. When working on large-scale projects where multiple issues may develop, it is especially helpful to organize and categorize bugs with a unique Bug ID.

2. Environment

The environment section contains important information about the setup of the system where the error happened. The physical specifications, software version, operating system, browser type, version, and any other pertinent configurations are included in this. Determining the environment's compliance with various setups and helping developers reproduce the error are all made easier by knowing what to look for on the platform.

When reporting the bug, they must specify if the bug is observed in one or more specific environments. Use the template below for specificity:

Device Type: Hardware and particular model of the device.
OS: Name and version of the operating system.
Examiner: The tester's name who found the error.
Software Version: The software version in which the bug first surfaced and is being tested.
Connection Strength: During testing, indicate whether the bug depends on a 4G, 3G, WiFi, or Ethernet internet connection.
Rate of Reproduction: The quantity of times the bug has been replicated, together with the precise procedures each time.

3. Steps to Reproduce a Bug

This section describes the precise steps or inputs needed to consistently cause the problem. It is important to provide developers with a clear and chronological description of each step so they can correctly duplicate the issue. Giving thorough instructions facilitates the debugging process and aids in identifying the bug's primary cause, resulting in faster fixes.

4. Expected Result

This section of the bug report explains the intended behavior of the software in the specified situation. The intended outcomes provide the developer with information about the requirements. This helps in their assessment of how much the bug is interfering with the user experience. It specifies how the system ought to react to the operations specified in the reproducibility phases. With the use of this data, developers may better diagnose and fix bugs by comparing the expected functionality with the real behavior seen when the issue arises.

5. Actual Result

The "Actual Result" section of a bug report documents the software's behavior when the bug occurs, highlighting deviations from expected behavior and explaining observed results in detail. This detailed explanation helps developers spot differences and assess the severity of the problem, leading to more focused troubleshooting and solution efforts.

6. Visual Proof of Bug

Include physical evidence of the bug's presence by including visual proof, such as images or videos. Visual aids give more context and clarity, especially when it comes to problems involving graphical elements or user interfaces. Screenshots can help developers visualize issues and speed up the debugging process by highlighting error messages, unusual behavior, or inconsistencies.

7. Bug Severity

The Bug Severity section categorizes a bug's impact on software functioning and performance into levels such as critical, major, minor, and cosmetic, aiding in prioritizing bug fixes based on importance and urgency. Factors like frequency, impact extent, and potential repercussions for users or system operations inform severity ratings, optimizing resource allocation and ensuring major issues receive prompt attention while minor ones can be addressed later in development cycles. Each bug requires a severity rating and corresponding priority to indicate its impact and urgency for correction.

Bug Severity Levels:

Low: The bug won't cause any obvious system failures. Minor: The bug causes some unexpected or undesirable behavior, but not enough to interfere with system operation.
Major: A flaw that could cause the system to collapse in substantial portions
Important: Error that could cause the entire system to shut down

Bug Priority Levels:

Low: The bug might be resolved in the future. Priority goes to other, more critical bugs.
Medium: A bug can be resolved during standard testing and development.
High: The bug needs to be fixed right away since it negatively impacts the system and prevents it from being used until it is fixed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to fix program functionality and guarantee a flawless user experience, the identified problem must be addressed. Developers can efficiently prioritize resolution efforts by comprehending the defect's nature and how it affects the behavior of the software. To create a software product that is stable and dependable, comprehensive testing, debugging, and the use of corrective actions are necessary. The performance of the software and user happiness can be protected by proactive maintenance and continuous monitoring, which can help reduce similar problems in the future.