Genislab TechnologiesDefinition: A defect is an error or a bug, in the application which is created. A programmer while designing and building the software can make mistakes or error. These mistakes or errors mean that there are flaws in the software. These are called defects.
- When actual result deviates from the expected result while testing a software application or product then it results into a defect. Hence, any deviation from the specification mentioned in the product functional specification document is a defect. In different organizations it’s called differently like bug, issue, incidents or problem.
- When the result of the software application or product does not meet with the end user expectations or the software requirements then it results into a Bug or Defect. These defects or bugs occur because of an error in logic or in coding which results into the failure or unpredictable or unanticipated results.
Additional Information about Defects / Bugs:
While testing a software application or product if large number of defects are found then it’s called Buggy.
When a tester finds a bug or defect it’s required to convey the same to the developers. Thus they report bugs with the detail steps and are called as Bug Reports, issue report, problem report, etc.
This Defect report or Bug report consists of the following information:
- Defect ID – Every bug or defect has it’s unique identification number
- Defect Description – This includes the abstract of the issue.
- Product Version – This includes the product version of the application in which the defect is found.
- Detail Steps – This includes the detailed steps of the issue with the screenshots attached so that developers can recreate it.
- Date Raised – This includes the Date when the bug is reported
- Reported By – This includes the details of the tester who reported the bug like Name and ID
- Status – This field includes the Status of the defect like New, Assigned, Open, Retest, Verification, Closed, Failed, Deferred, etc.
- Fixed by – This field includes the details of the developer who fixed it like Name and ID
- Date Closed – This includes the Date when the bug is closed
- Severity – Based on the severity (Critical, Major or Minor) it tells us about impact of the defect or bug in the software application
- Priority – Based on the Priority set (High/Medium/Low) the order of fixing the defect can be made. (Know more about Severity and Priority)
Also see – Failure in software testing
Know more about From where do Defects and Failures arises?
Other popular articles:
- What is the difference between Severity and Priority? With Examples
- What is a Failure in software testing?
- What is a Defect Life Cycle or a Bug lifecycle in software testing?
- From where do defects and failures in software testing arise?
- Complete guide to defect management for Test / QA Managers
Frank says
I still don’t understand the difference between a bug and a defect if its the same the why use both names?
Avanendra kumar says
When any fault is find by tester then its called bug and when fault is find out by client (customer) then it is called defect. If fault is find out by developer then it called error
Faiza says
In the field of computer science the software product is tested well as there are number of errors for which different testing techniques are being used to identify and correct it before proceeding to next phase otherwise it becomes difficult and expensive to remove it at the later phase or phases. In your opinion when a tester comes across something in a system that deviates from expected behavior does this necessarily mean that this is a defect in the software itself? Yes/No
imran ansari says
yes
keerthana.B says
do we create defect report for every bugs?
priya says
it depends on project & ur company.
Sometimes, we create a wiki and add all observations ( to save time from creating elaborate bug report) that we find and later with product manager, Dev & QE manager and the team will decide if it has to be fixed or not. if the decision is to fix, then we create a ticket for it. if not add comments to the Wiki and leave it.
Sometimes, we create a ticket and log defect for all the issues found.
rajan rana says
testing process follow in you company?
Terry Davis says
Whilst this is one way of looking at the definition of a defect, it is not wholly correct. When a tester comes across something in a system that deviates from expected behaviour, it does not necessarily mean that this is a defect.
Testers do not report defects, but they do report ‘incidents’. An incident it where the tester performs a test and is not met with the results they expected. This does not automatically point to a defect. It could be erroneous test data, misconfigured settings, an error or misunderstanding on the tester’s part.
Automatically referring to things as ‘defects’ before proper investigation has been done will lead to system issues lying unfixed because they are mistakenly held in a defect log when they should be on someone’s to-do list.
An incident should only be designated as a defect once it has been through a triage process and it has been established that the test does in fact fail because of defective functionality and not something else.
If I can’t access Google from my web browser, that doesn’t automatically point to a defect in the browser itself. It could be a blocked firewall, a problem with the website I am trying to access, a mis-typed URL, my internet connection being down or many other things.
None of these are actual ‘defects’ but they are blocks to completing the test, in which case I mark the test as incomplete, with notes, and ensure the project manager directs the details to the person who can fix the issue.
Assuming that an incident is automatically the result of a functional defect can lead to lost time in the investigation of a fix that is not required as a tester ma have simply mis-typed a URL.
Ola says
Thanks for clarifying that.
Prasanna says
What is the appropriate definition for bug and defect
Rana Chakraborty says
I would have wanted to include the types of the defects into the log as well.
Puneet Sapaliga says
An additional field viz. Environment (Development/Testing/Production) can be included in the defect/bug report.
Amarjeet says
This will definitely help me out in my ISTQB certification…
Thanks a lot..
ISTQB Guide says
You are welcome. All the best with your ISTQB certification