Imagine this scenario:
A software customer clicks a download button.
He hums in anticipation as the progress bar moves forward—in just a minute, he’ll have access to a software bundle he’s been anticipating for months, ever since the provider announced a release date.
His face contorts in disappointment when he opens the program and keys in a feature, only to be assaulted by a lengthy error message. In less than a minute, he’s taken to Twitter to angrily complain, releasing an avalanche of nasty PR for the provider.
There’s a reason why testing is important. Bug tracking is a result of the testing work. Logging and monitoring bugs (errors) during the testing phase eradicates potential software glitches before they can reach the user.
Sizable software suites could be infested with thousands of defects. The solution? A test management tool that seeks and swats down bugs before they can worm their way into the customer experience. Premier test management tools leverage intuitive, powerful features to evaluate, monitor, and prioritize bug tracking. Next to the test management basics, like designing test cases, etc, most test management solutions do not have integrated issue management, only external integrations. TestMonitor has both, simplified and next-level.
Feature #1: Flexibility
A bug-fighting UAT tool should provide testers (users) with a degree of flexibility and freedom to use their own intuition and perspective in reporting bugs during the UAT process. Test managers can create an optimal tester experience by providing expected outcomes in a clear fashion.
Educators have found that the key to designing a seamless, effective learning or testing environment is gamification: Make tracking and reporting bugs a fun game. Some test managers incentivize bug tracking with competitions or awards like “Bug of the Week.” An integrated UAT bug tracker makes this kind of communication a snap. Managers can stay on top of bug issues as they arise and keep everyone informed.
Feature #2: Assigned Task Functions
A key aspect of a super-powered bug tracker is the ability to assign testers specific tasks. UAT tools like TestMonitor provide each tester with a personal to-do list of all planned test runs assigned to him or her. This gives testers focused interaction with the product and can help isolate or recreate a troublesome bug or issue as it arises. TestMonitor offers a simple interface built for software testers that resolves issues by breaking them down into manageable tasks for different users. In addition, TestMonitor notifies the team when tasks are completed or assigned.
Feature #3: Simple Bug Report Writing
Writing an evocative screenplay is fine for Hollywood, but writing an efficacious bug report is the path to “fortune and glory” in the testing world. It’s been said that creating a well-written bug report is an art form, requiring a combination of testing experience and reliable communication skills.
Think of a bug report like a news article. Above all else, it must be informative, reporting the what, when, who, where, why, and how of the bug tracking process. What happened? How did the incident unwind? What steps led to the bug? Where in the sequence of development did this occur? Who found it? What operation were they running when it happened? Like a quality news report, a bug report must clearly chronicle the journey—the individual steps—from programming to testing to the bug’s ugly emergence.
Although there may be an art to writing bug reports, the structure of the process can be distilled into eight steps:
- Structure: Test carefully.
- Reproduce: Test it again.
- Isolate: Test it specifically.
- Generalize: Test it elsewhere.
- Compare: Review results of similar tests.
- Summarize: Relate test to customers.
- Condense: Trim unnecessary information.
- Neutralize: Express problem impartially.
TestMonitor offers all of the tools necessary to transform a tester into the Sherlock Holmes of total test management including the bug tracking.. Along with an integrated, intuitive bug tracker, TestMonitor optimizes every aspect of manual testing—defining requirements and risks, planning test runs, analyzing test results, managing related issues, and test design.
Ready to take down some bugs? Try a free 14-day trial today.
