The bug life cycle, also known as the defect life cycle, is the sequence of steps a bug or defect goes through from its identification to its resolution in software development. According to the provided reference, this lifecycle standardizes the bug management process, ensuring teams can manage and resolve bugs more effectively.
Understanding the Bug Life Cycle
Think of the bug life cycle as the journey of a bug, from its discovery to its ultimate fix and closure. Each stage involves different team members and activities. A well-defined bug life cycle ensures that no bug is missed and that the development team can efficiently track and resolve defects.
Stages of a Typical Bug Life Cycle
While the specific stages may vary depending on the organization and project, a common bug life cycle generally includes the following stages:
- New: The bug is initially identified and logged.
- Assigned: The bug is assigned to a specific developer for further investigation and resolution.
- Open: The developer starts working on analyzing and fixing the bug.
- Fixed: The developer has implemented a fix and believes the bug is resolved.
- Pending Retest: The fix is ready for testing by the testing team.
- Retest: The testing team retests the application to verify the fix.
- Verified: The testing team confirms that the bug is indeed resolved.
- Closed: The bug is considered resolved and the life cycle is complete.
- Reopened: If the bug persists after the "Retest" stage, the bug is reopened, and the life cycle starts again from the "Open" stage.
- Deferred: The bug is postponed to be fixed in the future releases.
- Rejected: The bug is considered not a bug.
Benefits of Implementing a Bug Life Cycle
Implementing a well-defined bug life cycle offers several benefits:
- Improved Bug Tracking: Provides a clear and structured way to track bugs from discovery to resolution.
- Enhanced Communication: Facilitates better communication and collaboration among team members (developers, testers, project managers).
- Increased Efficiency: Streamlines the bug management process, leading to faster resolution times.
- Better Software Quality: Contributes to higher quality software by ensuring all identified bugs are addressed.
- Standardized Process: The provided reference notes that the life cycle standardizes the bug management process.
Example Scenario
Imagine a tester finds a bug where the login button doesn't work. Here's how it would progress through the bug life cycle:
- New: Tester logs the bug.
- Assigned: The bug is assigned to a developer.
- Open: Developer investigates the issue.
- Fixed: Developer fixes the code causing the problem.
- Pending Retest: The fix is ready for testing.
- Retest: The tester retests the login functionality.
- Verified: The tester confirms the login button now works correctly.
- Closed: The bug is closed.
If, in step 7, the login button still didn't work, the bug would be Reopened and the process would start again from the "Open" stage.
