What is the Correct Way To Log Bugs? A Simple Guide

Logging bugs is one of the main workflows in Quality Assurance(QA) processes. It serves as a detailed documentation of the issues. Developers can then go over these reports to replicate these issues to have them fixed.

The key to successful development and testing cycles not only depends upon the accurate and efficient logging of such reports but also on how efficiently they are resolved by the developers. Detailed bug reports enable developers to understand, replicate, and fix issues faster. 🚫🐞🚀

Bug logging workflows may seem very straightforward but there are more than a few things to consider before we jump to conclusions on this one. Now, these workflows of logging and reporting bugs have many essential components.

Considering the complexities of modern software development cycles with time constraints, these components have to be carefully included in bug reports. 🐛📄

Missing on even a few of these components can impact development and testing cycles. On the contrary, great bug reports can help improve the ROI and minimize re-works meaning fewer headaches, efficient expense handling to ensure quality, and saved time. 🙂

So what are those components that we are talking about?  How are they important while QA engineers report bugs to developers? What is the correct way to log bugs? 🤔

There is no shortage of posts concerning these topics, but I’m going to make it as simple and accurate as I possibly can in this post answering these questions.

Apart from this, we will look at some cool features of BetterBugs, an extension for Chrome that is developed specifically for reporting bug reports and cutting through the tiresome workflows that can help you save time and effort for your QA activities. 🙌

Let’s start.

There is a short answer to this question. Include all the relevant details concerning the issue while logging bug reports. Okay. And what are those relevant details and ways to present them?

Let’s find out.

Screenshots and Video Recordings for Visual Contexts

Visual representation is the most effective way to communicate or convey a message. Logging bug reports with screenshots or video recordings is a no-brainer. Developers can have a firsthand glance at the issue. A picture is worth a thousand words. Similarly, the visual proof of a bug is worth multiple communications and endless email chains of explanation.

Read More: Top 10 Screen Recording Tools in 2024

Proper Annotations to Cut Through Noise

Annotations can be very important to highlight an issue. Scribbling on screenshots is a very powerful way to cut through the noise in a website or an application. Annotations can help developers identify the issue at first glance so they don't have to search here and there to visualize it. This can indeed be very helpful while scanning for issues in an application with lots of UI elements in the layout.

Clear Descriptions to Retrace Steps and Reproduce Issues Faster

The issue has to be described with clarity. QA engineers should understand that they are going to help navigate developers to that issue through their words. They need to include an accurate and concise title of the issue. Steps to replicate, expected output, actual output, and other relevant details should be clearly mentioned. Every detail counts.

Read More: How to Report a Bug: Tips for QA Efficiency

Simplicity in Text Language for Better Readability

The language being used in the bug reports should not be complicated at all. It is always good to avoid smart, complicated, and loose words while describing an issue. Yes, technical words relevant to the issue have to be included, but the rest of it should be plain and simple. Always remember that the issue or a bug is already a riddle, why add more riddles describing the existing riddles?

Technical Details for Better Debugging Sessions

Developers would most certainly need technical details to replicate an issue reported by the QA engineers. Console logs and network requests while the issue has occurred and system information that provides insights regarding the environment in which the issue was detected can be very important for developers to replicate and fix the issue. These must be included in the reports while logging a bug.

A software product is not just a product, but it’s meant to be a solution. BetterBugs tries to solve the problem of tedious bug reporting processes by not only providing quick and easy workflows for reporting issues but also making sure that they cover all the aspects to help log the bugs in the correct way.

Articulating the problem of tedious and frustrating bug reporting workflows, BetterBugs helps to solve the common challenges and pain points of bug reporting. Mentioned below are some of them along with how it helps tackle them.

Problem 1: Reporting bugs can be a tedious manual task that wastes valuable time and resources. 😪

Solution: With Betterbugs, you can take annotatable screenshots and record videos to share them easily in a few clicks for enhanced context-sharing within minutes and without additional resources. Developers can have a complete overview of the issue that helps eliminate any confusion and enables faster resolution. 📷

Problem 2: Traditional methods of bug reporting can result in information gaps and communication breakdowns between QA teams and developers. 😒

Solution: BetterBugs simplifies this by creating comprehensive and shareable bug reports with screenshots and video recording features. It seamlessly integrates with tools like Jira, Asana, GitHub, and many others to share these bug reports within seconds directly to the workspaces of these tools for enhanced collaboration. 😇

Problem 3: There is no standard or optimized way of bug reporting that ensures clarity, completeness, and consistency. 🤔

Solution: BetterBugs provides easy and optimized bug reporting workflows. It automatically attaches crucial data like console logs, network requests, and OS info to every screenshot or video recording, reducing the time spent on deciphering the bug's origin. This allows developers to focus on finding solutions with clarity and better context. The auto-included info with the screen captures increases the chances of replicating the bug in minimal time. ⏱️✅

That was a complete overview and a simple guide that can help you create great reports. Although these points may seem fairly simple, once you bring them in unison, you will see it come to life as a very powerful document.

If you are still confused about how to put it all together in the form of a complete bug report while logging issues, check out the comprehensive post on How to Report Bugs Effectively to Keep Developers Happy. I’m sure, you will find that as interesting as this one and not miss anything. 😇

You can download BetterBugs as a free Chrome extension developed specifically for optimized bug reporting workflows and accelerated debugging utilizing the auto-included developer-friendly details with every bug report.

I hope you enjoyed reading the post.

See you soon with another one.

Happy Hunting! 🙋‍♂️