CASE 1
Why is bug reporting an art that should be learned by every tester?
Acc. to Mr. Rahul: Bug reporting isn’t just an art. It is a form of martial art
Let us better understand this by example:
Type 1
App crashes when clicked on the submit button after entering all the details
Steps to reproduce:
Open the app
Click on the Hamburger Menu
Click on “Create”
After page loads – enter Username, Address and Phone Number
Hit the Submit button
Expected Result: App should not crash.
Actual Result: App crashes
Notes:
A lot of testers do this – as though the product owner and developer doesn’t know where the create page is. It is a bad practice carried from one organisation to another. It is a blind belief that if we don’t break it down like this people can’t reproduce it.
Some bugs need precise instructions because the bug is about the flow. This bug isn’t about the flow and hence does not require the details.
Type 2
Create Page : App crash on initiating a write to database
Any write function to the database appears broken on Create Page.
Write points tested
Submit – Result -> Crash
Edit – Result -> Crash
Crash logs attached.
Tried 3 times – all 3 times consistent result
Notes:
This is far better than the previous one. This shows the clarity of a tester in reporting this bug. This shall make the developer not come back to testers for obvious questions. Most of what is required is there. This also shows a tester’s awareness that a Write_Function is causing an issue than the Submit button itself.
Type 3
Create Page : Write_Function causes Null Pointer Exception
Any write function to the database appears broken on Create Page.
Write points tested
Submit – Result -> Crash
Edit – Result -> Crash
Crash logs attached.
Tried 3 times – all 3 times consistent result
Impact : This is the page where users spend 15% of their time as per our analytics. This can have a direct impact on user reviews and revenues.
Notes:
This is a slightly improvised version of the previous one. This shows the awareness of a tester of how the users use the app and the impact this bug can have on the users and the business. This kind of bug reporting (with bug advocacy) showcasing the impact of the bug on users and or business helps people understand the value from a tester.
Type 4
Create Page : Write_Function causes Null Pointer Exception
Any write function to the database appears broken on Create Page
This issue is specific to Create Page as Write_functions on other pages seem to be fine
Write points tested on Create Page
Submit – Result -> Crash
Edit – Result -> Crash
Write points tested on Other Pages
Submit – Result -> Write Done
Edit – Result -> Write Done
Crash logs / ADB Logs are attached.
Tried 3 times – all 3 times consistent result. Also, the state of the app does not matter. This issue is reproducible in all states the app can be in.
Impact : This is the page where users spend 15% of their time as per our analytics. This can have a direct impact on user reviews and revenues.
Notes
This one shows the investigation done after having found a bug. This helps in understanding that the tester won’t create too many bug reports for the same bug. If there is a problem with write_function across pages the whole bug report would have changed to – Any write function to the db appears to result in Null Pointer Exception.
Plus – it shows the tester has a deeper sense of what could be causing the issue and the oracle of “Inconsistent behaviour within the application”. Does the state of the app matter? NO, in this case. That is captured too.
Type 5:
On Slack, “Hey, I found a crash with any write_function implementation, probably an incorrect version got checked in – are you giving me a new build?”
Notes:
At times this maybe good because creating a new ticket will end up adding noise to everyone when things can be sorted out. There are people who argue that every bug should be reported and not sorted out with developers like this but the counter argument is – if reporting becomes an overhead and there is a way to get it resolved – do it.
Bug reporting isn’t just an art. It is a form of martial art
