Defect Management Procedures in Software Testing Services

According to some analysts and testers, the role of defect management is not given due importance in the software testing process. Here are some of the procedures related to the defect management process.

1. Along with the documentation of the process, documentation of the procedures and activities is critical as well. The activities related to defect management end up being a huge heap of haphazard work if no documentation of the same is done and organized. These activities form an integral part of the offshore software testing process and outsourced testing services and get developed over the lifetime of the project.

2. Use a defect management tool, wherever possible. Defect management tools provide security, organized work competitive reporting facilities. These tools can be bought from a tools provider or made in-house. There is a lot of freeware that is there on the net.

3. Collect various defect types. Defects which might have crept into test documentation should also be looked into. All defects should be addressed to by comparing to different modules.

4. Recreation of the defect in detail helps in the resolving the defect quite easily. It is important to communicate those defects in a time to time manner. It is vital to use statistics wisely enough because sometimes one might be asked about some figures which has never been considered. Testers need to be extra careful in the software testing process especially with historical data which is not updated regularly.

5. There are many different ways to close a defect. Also it is important to be clear about what to do with a defect in different circumstances. Using a defect review board is useful and it mostly consists of a defect manager, the software developer and software testers. The project management should be out of it. Concentrate on challenging and high priority defects in the software testing process.

6. There should be a set dispute resolution procedure for all tests. There might be instances when the review board will fail to arrive at a conclusion. Also, it is vital to appoint the right person to have the final call and the communication procedures.

7. One has to take care before taking any decision one makes about the number of defects which are deemed as OK in terms of a given environment. The decision may go woefully wrong if the factors of product suitability are taken into consideration. The tester of the software testing process or a reputed software testing company might get caught up in a web contractually if the decision goes horribly wrong.