(Translation) Art of compiling excellent bug reports and case analysis

Preface In 99 Years Quality Week In the previous speech, a test Manager from Microsoft, Roger Sherman It is pointed out that "non-reproducible" causes Bug The main reason for disabling. This is a pity, because Bug report A waste of valuable time in a tight Development Plan, an increase in the product quality is completely irrelevant, and at the same time lead to a sense of frustration and poor feeling between developers and testing. Sometimes, Bug report This is due to transient or random events, inconsistent tools and configurations between testing and development, or fuzzy definitions of correct behaviors in the testing environment, however, many test reports that are closed because they cannot be reproduced are unclear, misunderstood, or contain text errors.   Fortunately, I learned some excellent skills that can attract the attention of the management, communicate with developers more clearly, and fix the problems. Bug report Tips. These skills not only provide a reliable return on the proportion of the problem to be fixed, but also get a return on the passing of the same developer and management. Use this method in projects under my management Bug report , 8 Copies Bug report Only one of them is not repaired. The idea of this article is only effective when the testing execution process targeted by your report is professional quality work. Intelligent execution of a complete test package is one of the underlying factors that generate reliable test status information. A wide variety of methods for building such a test package are introduced in many test documents. Select technologies that are consistent with your quality risk management needs and adapt them to your specific situation, and monitor the execution process of planned tests in an agile manner, in this way, you can have a reliable test execution process. Another key factor is bug report, but it has not received much attention. This is unfortunate because the excellent bug report is equally important to reflect the true and understandable Quality of Work of the test team, just as the test itself. Imagine how the developer can fix the problem if you cannot explain an error to the developer using the terms that the developer can understand and the methods that can be used for debugging? If you cannot make a summary of errors in the bug report like "bumper sticker" to attract the attention of the management, how do you concern them with the problems you have discovered? The core of the bug report is the description of the error. Table 1 provides an example of a good and bad error description. A well-written bug report is a good artistic form. Use the following 10 tips to help your team Improve the Quality of bug reports:

1. OrganizationStructure: Testers should perform the test in a well-thought-out, careful way and make detailed records. This will encourage them to have a good understanding of the tested system. When an error occurs, an organized tester can know where the problem was first encountered.
2. ReproductionReproduce: The tester must check whether the problem can be reproduced before writing a bug report. If the error cannot be reproduced, you should still write it down, but it must indicate the contingency of the problem. A good solution is to try three times before writing a bug report.
3. IsolationIsolate: Before writing a bug report, you must try to isolate the error. You can change some variables, such as system configuration, which may change the symptoms of errors. This information can provide developers with ideas for debugging.
4. InductionGeneralize: After the tester finds an isolated and reproducible problem, the problem should be summarized. Does the same problem occur in other modules or other places? Is there a more serious problem with the same fault?
5. ComparisonCompare: If a tester has previously verified a test case with an error, he should check the previous test results to check whether the same conditions have passed the previous test. If yes, the problem is like a regression error. Note that because the same test condition may appear in multiple test cases, this step is not just to check the results of a test case in the past.
6. SummarySummarize: It is critical to write an error summary in the first line of the bug report. Testers need to spend some time thinking about the impact of the errors they have discovered on the customer. This not only requires that the reports prepared by testers should attract readers, clarify communications with the management, but also help set priority levels for error fixes.
7. SimplifiedCondense: After the first draft of the bug report is completed, the tester should read it repeatedly to eliminate irrelevant steps or words. Implicit or vague descriptions and infinite nagging attempts to eliminate the popularity of reports due to irrelevant details or steps not required during error reproduction are not the goal of the bug report..
8. Eliminate ambiguityDisambiguate: The tester should carefully check whether there is any misunderstanding in the report while streamlining the empty talk or afterwards. Testers should try to avoid being vague and produce ambiguous and subjective words. The goal is to use words that can express facts clearly without dispute.
9. NeutralNeutralize: As described in this article, as the sender of bad messages, it is a challenge to submit messages kindly. As with all summary of errors, independent bug reports should be fair in terms of wording. Attacking developers, accusing them of potential errors, and attempting to be witty or sarcasm will cause developers to hate and turn their attention away from the big goal of "improving product quality. Cautious testers only use bug reports to describe the facts.
10. CheckReview: Once the tester feels that the bug report is the best version he can write, he should check the report with one or more peers. His colleagues should also give some suggestions to clarify the issue and, if appropriate, may even challenge the conclusion of "error disaster. The test team should submit the best bug report as much as possible within the time allowed.

The above 10 skills can help you and your team submit accurate, concise, thoroughly revised, well-conceived, and high-quality technical documents. The test team should focus on the compilation of bug reports. The test team lead and manager should make the test team members clearly aware that the preparation of excellent bug reports is a primary task. The quality indicators for measuring outstanding bug reports should include the following: O is clear to the management, especially at the summary level; O is useful to the development department, it mainly provides information that allows developers to debug problems efficiently. O can quickly change bugs from the "opened" status to the "closed" status, reduce the time required to get more information from the developer to return a poor bug report and cause the tester to rework. It takes some time to improve the bug report process, but it also gives a significant return. First, the simple process improves the communication between the test team and the senior and parallel management, enhances the team's trust, fame, and encourages the management to invest more resources in the test. Second, the stable delivery of reports to developers promotes a positive relationship between testing and developers. Third, shorter bug lifecycles are more effective. The time spent on writing excellent bug reports before the time is offset from the time spent on the bug reports due to poor rework. These returns help the development process achieve better product quality through effective communication and efficient processes.

Good

Bad

Summary (Summary)Arial, wingdings, and symbol fonts damage new files.Steps to reproduce the problem (Steps to reproduce): 1. start the speedywriter editor and create a file. 2. enter four lines of text, and repeatedly enter "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", 3. select four lines of text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select arial.4. Convert all text into control characters, numbers, and other binary data. 5. after three attempts, the problem can be reproduced every time.Isolation (Isolation)This problem occurs when the build 1.1.018 test cases are passed in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. this problem can also be reproduced using the wingdings and symbol fonts, but the times-Roman, Courier New, and webdings fonts do not. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. Save the file, close it, and then open the file. This error still exists. This error will not occur if you save the file before converting the font. This error is not generated in an existing file. This error occurs only on Windows 98 and does not occur on Solaris, Mac, or other Windows platforms.

When some text is formatted as Arial fonts, all the content in the new file I created is destroyed.

Table1 Case Analysis: SpeedywriterSpeedywriter -- · a Java-developed word processor · supports common word processor functions · In case studies, there are differences in the description of highlighted content in the italics font Procedure 1 , Organization Structure  · Use a well-thought-out and careful Method for Testing · follow the prepared or run automated test cases of compiled and standardized processes · carefully record Procedure 2 , Reproduce Reproduce 

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Bad

· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.

When some text is formatted as Arial fonts, the annoying bug ruined all the content in the new file I created, wasting my time.

Procedure 3 , Isolation Isolate 

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· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationBased on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. I save the file, close it, and open it again. This error still exists. If the file is saved before the text is changed to "Arial", this error will not occur. In an existing file, this error is not generated. This error only appears on Windows 98.

· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationThis problem does not occur in Solaris.

  Procedure 4 , Induction Generalize 

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· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationThis problem also exists in wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. I save the file, close it, and open it again. This error still exists. If the file is saved before the text is changed to "Arial", this error will not occur. This error is not generated in an existing file. This error only appears on Windows 98.

· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationBased on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. I save the file, close it, and open it again. This error still exists. If the file is saved before the text is changed to "Arial", this error will not occur. In an existing file, this error is not generated. This error only appears on Windows 98.

  Procedure 5 Comparison Compare 

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· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test case passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. This problem also exists in wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. I save the file, close it, and open it again. This error still exists. If the file is saved before the text is changed to "Arial", this error will not occur. This error is not generated in an existing file. This error only appears on Windows 98.

· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationThis problem also exists in wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. I save the file, close it, and open it again. This error still exists. If the file is saved before the text is changed to "Arial", this error will not occur. This error is not generated in an existing file. This error only appears on Windows 98.

  Procedure 6 , Summary Summarize 

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Good

SummaryArial, wingdings, and symbol fonts damage new files· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test cases passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. This problem also exists in wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. I save the file, close it, and open it again. This error still exists. If the file is saved before the text is changed to "Arial", this error will not occur. This error is not generated in an existing file. This error only appears on Windows 98.

· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test cases passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. This problem also exists in wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. I save the file, close it, and open it again. This error still exists. If the file is saved before the text is changed to "Arial", this error will not occur. This error is not generated in an existing file. This error only appears on Windows 98.

  Procedure 7 Simplified Condense 

Better

Good

SummaryArial, wingdings, and symbol fonts damage new files· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. start the speedywriter editor and create a file. 2. enter four lines of text, and repeat "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", 3. select the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select arial.4. This annoying bug ruined all the text and turned it into meaningless garbage, wasting users' time. 5. after three attempts, the problem can be reproduced every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test cases passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. This problem also exists in wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. Save the file, close it, and then open the file. This error still exists. This error will not occur if you save the file before converting the font. In an existing file, this error is not generated. This error only appears on Windows 98.

SummaryArial, wingdings, and symbol fonts damage new files· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. I opened the speedywriter editor and created a file. 2. Then I input four lines of text, and repeatedly input the "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", each time using bold, italic, strikethrough, different effects than underline. 3. I selected the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select Arial. 4. This nasty bug turns all text into meaningless garbage and wastes user time. 5. I tried three times to reproduce this problem every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test cases passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. This problem also exists in wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. I save the file, close it, and open it again. This error still exists. If the file is saved before the text is changed to "Arial", this error will not occur. This error is not generated in an existing file. This error only appears on Windows 98.

  Procedure 8 Eliminate ambiguity Disambiguate 

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Good

SummaryArial, wingdings, and symbol fonts damage new files· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. start the speedywriter editor and create a file. 2. enter four lines of text, and repeat "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", 3. select four lines of text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select arial.4. This annoying bug ruined all the text and turned it into meaningless garbage, including control characters, numbers and some other binary junk data waste users' time. 5. after three attempts, the problem can be reproduced every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test cases passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. In the same step, this problem also exists in the wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. Save the file, close it, and then open the file. This error still exists. This error will not occur if you save the file before converting the font. In an existing file, this error is not generated. This error occurs only on Windows 98 and does not occur on Solaris, Mac, or other Windows platforms.

SummaryArial, wingdings, and symbol fonts damage new files· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. start the speedywriter editor and create a file. 2. enter four lines of text, and repeat "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", 3. select the text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select arial.4. This annoying bug ruined all the text and turned it into meaningless garbage, wasting users' time. 5. after three attempts, the problem can be reproduced every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test cases passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. This problem also exists in wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. Save the file, close it, and then open the file. This error still exists. This error will not occur if you save the file before converting the font. In an existing file, this error is not generated. This error only appears on Windows 98.

  Procedure 9 Neutral Neutralize 

Better

Good

SummaryArial, wingdings, and symbol fonts damage new files· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. start the speedywriter editor and create a file. 2. enter four lines of text, and repeat "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", 3. select four lines of text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select arial.4. Convert all text into control characters, numbers, and other binary data. 5. after three attempts, the problem can be reproduced every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test cases passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. In the same step, this problem also exists in the wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. Save the file, close it, and then open the file. This error still exists. This error will not occur if you save the file before converting the font. This error is not generated in an existing file. This error occurs only on Windows 98 and does not occur on Solaris, Mac, or other Windows platforms.

SummaryArial, wingdings, and symbol fonts damage new files· Steps to reproduce the problem:1. start the speedywriter editor and create a file. 2. enter four lines of text, and repeat "the quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog", 3. select four lines of text, click the drop-down menu of the font, and select arial.4. This annoying bug ruined all the text and turned it into meaningless garbage, including control characters, numbers and some other binary junk data waste users' time. 5. after three attempts, the problem can be reproduced every time.IsolationThis problem is newly discovered in build 1.1.018. The same test cases passed the test in builds 1.1.007 (system test entry) and 1.1.017. In the same step, this problem also exists in the wingdings and symbol fonts. Based on Fuzzy guesses, this may be just a question about formatting. Save the file, close it, and then open the file. This error still exists. This error will not occur if you save the file before converting the font. In an existing file, this error is not generated. This error occurs only on Windows 98 and does not occur on Solaris, Mac, or other Windows platforms.

  Procedure 10 Check Review