How to Write a good Bug Report?

The effective bug report will decrease the chances of getting rejected stating- Issue is not reproducible. Then it increases the chance of Bug getting fixed. So reporting a bug should be clear, precise and effective.

Here is few tips and tricks that are helpful to write a good bug report.

Qualities of a Good bug report-

Anyone can write a bug report. But not everyone can write a effective bug report. You should be able to distinguish between a effective bug report and a average bug report.

"The point of writing a bug report is to get the bug or problem fixed! "

- Cem Kaner.

Here are few Tips and techniques that can make your bug report from AVERAGE to EFFECTIVE

1. Having a clearly specified unique Bug Number- Always give a unique number for a bug which should be unique for every bug. This will helps to identify the bug report. If a automated bug report tool is being used then this unique number will be generated by system each time when a bug is reported.

2. Check for Duplicate- Before reporting a Bug to system always search for the duplicate bug in the system. There will be a chance that the bug would have been identified in prior and is in OPEN status. So searching the bug in the system with a keyword with a asterisk(*) symbol will avoid the chances of rejecting the bug stating it as "Duplicate".

3. Always add the steps to reproduce the bug- If a bug is not reproducible, then it will never get fixed. So the steps to reproduce the bug should be mentioned clearly. Do not assume or skip any reproducing steps. Describe it step by step as it will be easy to reproduce and fix.

4. Be Specific- DO NOT write a essay about the problem. Be specific on point. Try to summarize the problem in minimum words but in a effective way. Do not combine multiple problems even if they seem yo be similar. Report them separately.

5. Add Expected behavior and Current behavior- Adding Current/ actual behavior will help developer to understand the problem precisely and will be effective to communicate the issue properly. Adding Expected behavior can be useful to compare the outcome which is required and outcome that we are getting.