Comments on: How to write an effective bug report http://www.techdarkside.com/how-to-write-an-effective-bug-report Struggles of a Self-Taught Coder Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Dave Jones http://www.techdarkside.com/how-to-write-an-effective-bug-report/comment-page-1#comment-16694 Dave Jones Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:27:01 +0000 http://www.techdarkside.com/?p=453#comment-16694 I think David is saying that the one-line bug summary needs to state the problem succinctly and accurately. Dennis, the steps to reproduce the problem should be in the bug report details. So I think your recommendations together really address the problem. If the full bug report describes the problem, the symptom, steps to reproduce, etc, then I'll just modify the one-line summary if necessary so I know what it means when I see it in reports. However, if there isn't adequate information to reproduce the bug, or for a developer to even know what problem is being reported, I tell the team members to immediately mark it as "needs more information" or "cannot reproduce". Too often I see developers waste their time trying to figure out the problem just because the tester can't write a bug report. I think David is saying that the one-line bug summary needs to state the problem succinctly and accurately. Dennis, the steps to reproduce the problem should be in the bug report details. So I think your recommendations together really address the problem.

If the full bug report describes the problem, the symptom, steps to reproduce, etc, then I'll just modify the one-line summary if necessary so I know what it means when I see it in reports.

However, if there isn't adequate information to reproduce the bug, or for a developer to even know what problem is being reported, I tell the team members to immediately mark it as "needs more information" or "cannot reproduce". Too often I see developers waste their time trying to figure out the problem just because the tester can't write a bug report.

]]> By: Joshua Lewis http://www.techdarkside.com/how-to-write-an-effective-bug-report/comment-page-1#comment-16685 Joshua Lewis Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:55:12 +0000 http://www.techdarkside.com/?p=453#comment-16685 I think maybe some BDD ideas can help here, in terms of stating pre-conditions, performing an action, then describing expected and actual post-conditions (also similar to AAA syntax for unit tests). I think maybe some BDD ideas can help here, in terms of stating pre-conditions, performing an action, then describing expected and actual post-conditions (also similar to AAA syntax for unit tests).

]]> By: Dennis Gorelik http://www.techdarkside.com/how-to-write-an-effective-bug-report/comment-page-1#comment-16684 Dennis Gorelik Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:22:09 +0000 http://www.techdarkside.com/?p=453#comment-16684 I agree that usually your second version (describing a problem) is better. However it's not always possible to state a problem in one statement. Sometimes it should be split into several sentences. For example: === Step by step: 1) Open home page. 2) Enter Scout's name "Scout1" and click search. 3) In details section the Scout rank does not have a Board of Review requirement. 4) The Scout rank in details section should have a Board of Review requirement. === So problem description could be longer. On the other hand, if you need short title, you may consider simplify it to: "Scout rank without Board of Review". It doesn't clearly explain the problem, but gives convenient short label to refer to the problem in discussions. Bottom line: it depends. I agree that usually your second version (describing a problem) is better.
However it's not always possible to state a problem in one statement.
Sometimes it should be split into several sentences.
For example:
===
Step by step:
1) Open home page.
2) Enter Scout's name "Scout1" and click search.
3) In details section the Scout rank does not have a Board of Review requirement.
4) The Scout rank in details section should have a Board of Review requirement.
===

So problem description could be longer.

On the other hand, if you need short title, you may consider simplify it to: "Scout rank without Board of Review".
It doesn't clearly explain the problem, but gives convenient short label to refer to the problem in discussions.

Bottom line: it depends.

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