Resolving 4 Major Problems in Bug Tracking Tools

Ray Parker

08 July 2019

Looking for a strategy that ensures quality software release? Well, the software development process is incomplete without bug tracking tools. Development teams are not only responsible for developing and launching successful products in the market. they are also responsible for bug tracking so that they can take complete ownership of the products they develop.

Without having these effective tools in place, development teams cannot steer their ship in the right direction. Not only are they responsible to maintain quality, attend bugs appearing in the application, but also incorporating customer feedback into the products they build. Following are 4 major problems in bug tracking, with tips to resolve them:

1. Bug Report from different Channels and Platforms:
   The very first thing that developers need to keep in mind is that bug reports would be coming in from different channels. This means that the bug tracking tool should be able to track where the feedback is coming from, and how it would they be responding to it. When bugs are reported from different platforms, it gets complicated for managers to manage all of them at once, creating backlogs. However, testers can prioritize important bugs and take immediate action. A bug tracking tool can simplify how bugs are captured. Managers create a single project for developers and testers to detect and rectify the bugs. Meanwhile, other users are also added to the project for feedback and comments on these bugs.
2. Lack of Information on Bugs:
   There are a lot of bugs appearing in a bug tracking tool, without any clear guidelines as to which information will be useful for development teams. Often, there is irrelevant information on bugs that cannot be used in defect management. Thus, testers end-up clearing all the clutter and lose track of their focus on the bugs. This is what we don’t want while using an effective bug tracking tool. So, the user creates a task that outlines all the tasks a developer needs to carry out, alongside information that pertains to that specific bug. This allows developers to save their time and efforts, and make bug tracking more efficient.
3. No Idea Which Bugs to Prioritize:
   Development teams have limited time and resources, due to which they need to determine which bugs are most important to be addressed. It is important to prioritize the bugs and errors captured in the bug tracking system. This makes developers’ jobs quite simple and easy and allows them to focus on effective bug tracking.
4. Development Teams cannot View Updated Status about Bugs:
   Another pitfall of bug tracking tools is that they are often inaccessible by different users working in the same team. Development teams also provide up-to-date information to their customers. But if they are coordinating all the bug fixes on emails, chats or other tools, it becomes impossible for other team members to tell who is working on the bug or what requests they have submitted. Hence, the integration of these platforms with the tools is necessary to bring all team members on one platform. Resolving the aforementioned major problems in bug tracking tools can make a defect management system work wonders for any organization.

Author Bio

Ray Parker is a senior marketing consultant with a knack for writing about the latest news in tech, quality assurance, software development and travel. With a decade of experience working in the tech industry, Ray now dabbles out of his New York office.