| To ensure quick
resolution to defects that are found, it is
important to provide as much information as possible
in your defect reports, allowing developers to
quickly resolve the issue. Below are some tips for
creating a solid defect report:
Tip 1 - Create a
descriptive Title
Include a descriptive title with each defect. The
title is the short description of a defect. Notice
in the 2nd example below, the defect titles contain
error numbers and better describes the issue.
Poor
defect titles:
Screen crashes
Issue found when adding an invoice
Better
defect titles:
Error -214123556 when
printing an invoice using HP 6210 printer
Invalid Use of Null error when adding an invoice
in Customer Portal
Tip 2 -
Create detailed Steps to Reproduce
Steps to Reproduce are the most critical part of
your defect report, it should describe how to
reproduce the error. It is easiest to follow if the
Steps to Reproduce are numbered and begin with
information about the person logging in and what
project or workspace they were working in.
Notice in the 2nd example below, we first told the
programmer what software we were logging into, along
with the User Id we used. Next, we identified the
workspace we were working in. Next, we described the
exact invoice number we were working on and
explained the exact steps to produce the issue,
along with our expected results.
Poor Steps
to Reproduce:
Once italic font style
been applied to the text it cannot be undone
clicking the "i' or Remove formatting icons.
Better
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Log into Widgets
Invoicing program (version 4.1) using User Id
abc00012
2. Select workspace named "My Sandbox"
3. Click Search, enter Invoice number 18738766,
press Go
4. Once invoice is displayed, click EDIT
5. Once in edit mode, highlight the invoice
address
6. Press the italics button on the editor
toolbar to change the entire address to italics
font.
7. Once italics is pressed, press CTRL+Z to undo
the italics
8. It keeps the address in italics, it should
revert back to no italics
Tip 3 - Attach Screen
Shots
When describing a defect, many times
a picture is worth a thousand words. In most cases,
you should attach a screen shot that describes the
error you received or what is not correct. Learn to
use a basic paint program to draw on the screen shot
to give more details. Below is an example:

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